The Beat magazine

The monthly bill Sanitary pads continue to be a distant reality for many Indian women www.thebeatmagazine.in

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BENGALURU SCENES

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Editor’s Letter

The Beat team welcomes you into the second print edition of our magazine. The stories represent various topics and walks of life. Our reporters have done their best to honestly and fairly represent the people they have met and the situations they have explored. With every piece, we have tried to understand the society we live in.

The magazine includes a spectrum of stories. The cover story, by Aditi Mallick, talks about the condition of many girls from all over India who can’t afford sanitary napkins and face social stigma when they are on their periods. It also talks about a central government scheme to provide on sanitary napkins to lower-income girls and women, which is now defunct in the state of Karnataka. A story by Sana Husain is about Dalit poets using their words as a means to fight the caste-based oppression that has existed in India for millennia. The story “Lightless Shelters”, shows the apathetic condition of Bengaluru’s homeless night shelters. Some of the night shelters are not in operation anymore because the BBMP has not sufficiently reimbursed the NGOs that operate them.

We are also very grateful to our mentors and advisors, Rachel Sauer and Girish Bhadri, who have always shown their support and helped us to produce this magazine. They have helped us every time we struggled with our story ideas and layouts.

We have also started our website, thebeatmagazine.in, which is updated weekly and serves as a multimedia supplement to this print edition.

Our commitment to quality story telling remains the same, whether it is a print edition or an online one.

We hope our magazine provides you with a realistic view of the society that we live in.

Editor: Rishi Sabharwal www.thebeatmagazine.in

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contents

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Poetry of protest

68 The monthly bill

Dont touch the pickle

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Cartoon god

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Silk road 16

Like,comment,hire!

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For the love of chocolate

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A safe ride home

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26

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Bengaluru heat

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Animal care

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Toy story

Lightless shelter

Review: Beautiful people www.thebeatmagazine.in 5

The monthly bill Sanitary pads continue to be a distant reality for many

Indian women

By Aditi mallick

On her periods, she feels self-conscious while wearing white, she avoids playing with her friends and she has to skip school.

“She” could be any girl, but in this instance she is Gouri, 12, studying in Check Post Government School on Mysore Road. She travels every day in a bus to reach school, but she missed her classes for last three days when she was on her periods. She uses

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cloth rather than sanitary napkins.

“I become very conscious,” she says, “the red stain is very clear in white uniform.”

“We have been using cloth for very long time,” says Kaveri, her mother.

“We can’t afford these many expenses.”

Gouri’s family consists of her parents and a younger and elder sister. Her mother explains that sanitary napkins

are expensive and it is not possible for them to spend money on them every month for four members of the family.

Gouri and her family represent the plight of many girls across Indian who can’t afford sanitary napkins and face social stigma when they are on their periods. Many schools like Gouri’s school lack the supplies and facilities to help them when they are menstruating.

A 2010 study conducted by AC Neilson and Plan India titled “Sanitary Protection: Every Woman’s Health Right” reported that 23 percent of girls in India leave school permanently when they begin to menstruate. Similar findings were reported by a Water Aid in India survey, in which 28 percent of female students reported not attending school during menstruation, due to lack of facilities.

To overcome such issues, the Government of India, via the National Rural Health Mission, in 2010 approved Rs.150 crore to increase access of sanitary napkins for women and girls, taking forward the National Rural Health Mission’s (NRHM) menstrual hygiene programme, the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department launched a similar programme for 33 lakh adolescent girls across the state. This programme was approved in the state budget of 2013 and was taken up under the Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health (ARSH) programme.

In spite of these schemes, menstruation remains shrouded in meaningless cultural norms and secrecy.

Many like Gouri have no idea about the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme, which was discontinued in the 20152015 financial year due to lack of infrastructure. So, girls continue to avoid school or going out of their house on those three to nine days of the month due to lack of proper sanitary napkins. The study conducted by AC Neilson and Plan India reported that 12 percent of India’s 355 million menstruating women use sanitary napkins and over 88 percent of 355 million resort to alternatives like unsanitized cloth, ashes and husk sand. During the financial year 2015-16, the scheme was discontinued due to lack of infrastructure.

“Ministry of Women and Child took

the decision to cancel the scheme,” says, Bharti Devi, assistant director of Women and Child Development of Karnataka. “Three crore budget was allotted to this scheme.”

Bharti also says that the HLL Company, which was contracted by the government to produce sanitary pads in bulk, experienced loss due to the failure of the awareness programme. “It was difficult to cover all areas,” she adds, “Karnataka is a big state we couldn’t cover all the area.”

Those sanitary napkins which they show in advertisements are very expensive.

A study conducted among 300 female students between the ages of 10 to 19 by researchers in the Department of Sociology at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, reports that a third of the respondents didn’t know about the use of sanitary pads during menstruation. The report also reveals that 33 percent of the respondents were using cloth, rags or cotton during menstruation.

This is not a problem isolated to just India. In a study conducted 2009 among factory workers in Bangladesh by Business for Society (BSR), researchers found that 73 percent of women miss up to a week of work each month during their periods.

Another 2010 Water Aid study in Nepal reports that around 53 percent of girls who participated in the survey do not come to school during menstruation.

Shanta Bai, a construction labourer in Hire Rugi village of Indi taluk, offers a rural Karnataka perspective.

She had never used sanitary napkins in her life and says none of her friends or neighbours uses sanitary napkins.

“I earn 150 rupees every day, how

will I manage to buy sanitary napkins for two women members in the family?” she asks. “Those sanitary napkins which they show in advertisements are very expensive.”

She remembers when she was 15 and her mother showed her how to use fabric torn from discarded saris to handle her monthly period.

The study conducted by AC Nielsen and Plan India reports that among rural women, about 68 percent cannot afford sanitary napkins and around 81 percent use unhygienic, unsterilized cloth pieces as menstrual absorbents.

“That is what we have been using all our life,” says Mangala, 32, who sells soft toys near Rajarajeshwari Hospital. “Sanitary napkins are expensive.

I use the remaining cloth after making the soft toys.”

Unhygienic menstrual practices is not only limited to use of absorbents like rags and old cloth, but also not cleaning the external genitalia frequently, storing and drying menstrual clothes in unhygienic conditions and not changing the menstrual absorbent frequently.

“And all these unhygienic menstrual practices have impact on women’s health, especially reproductive health. Studies have found that poor MHM (Menstrual Hygiene Management) can lead to urinary tract infections, reproductive tract infections and vaginal itches,” says Indu Thakur, a professor of women studies at RDVV University, Jabalpur Dilip Kumar Pattubala, founder of Sukhibhava, a Bengaluru organization that works to improve quality of life for urban poor women, in 2014 interviewed 250 women from three government schools, three urban slums and two garment factories in Bengaluru. “A staggering 82 percent women said they don’t use pads, out of that 76 percent said they use old clothes while six percent said they use materials like plastic, paper, sand, among others,” he explains.

Which is why on her periods, she still feels self-conscious while wearing white, she still avoids playing with her friends and she still has to skip school, because of lack of access and lack of awareness.

“She” can be any girl.

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Poetry of protest Dalit poetry evolves from literature to a form of protest

By Sana Hussain “Lines Addressed To A Warrior creep in to the hollows of my landscape- my eyes click lock: no more the drawing of the gates. set up your home your office the writing desk and the trading post. ignore the sand-brown of my skin- a willing blind i’ll never know black from white. take me and talk of your finer finish stunned I yield, so script your stories here invade. this inner space.”

Holding the mic closer, she gently adjusted it. Meena Kandasamy, the eminent Dalit poet, read the first few lines of her poem at the 14th Poetry Africa Festival, held in Durban, South Africa, in 2010.

A video snippet of the festival showed her eyes widening, her hands playing to the beautiful rhythm of wordsrolling out of her mouth. Seeing her read and dance to the tunes of her poetry, the audience responded with a round of applause. “I’m more famous for the angry poems than the love poems,” she said, and continued reading.

Based in Chennai, Kandasamy is the Editor of a Dalit magazine, a fiction writer andis associated with the Dalit Panthers of India, a militant activist organisation.

In her biography, she says her writing isa process of coming to terms with her identity: her “womanness, Tamilness and

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low/outcasteness,” labels that she wears with pride.

She is part of a growing movement using poetry as a tool of revolution and protest.

Now, it’s stirring passions in India in the form of Dalit poetry. Dalit activists are utilizing poetry to protest against castebased oppression.

The word Dalit is defined as a member of a caste, in the traditional Indian caste system, which is considered the lowest and that has the fewest advantages.

Dalit women poets have set a new benchmark, first by educating themselves and thenbyconsistently writing poems.

These women struggle to justify their identities in their poems whereas the mainstream poets talk about love, patriarchy, equality, beauty, religion, myths and legends, social class, heritage, consciousness, position, children, food, economy, et al.

C.K. Meena, chairwoman of Toto Funds the Artswho recently organized a poetryreading session called“About Poetry” at the British Library in Bengaluru, said that not all poems are message carriers. For her, a subtle message by the poet works more than a direct one. Remembering one of the poems written by a Dalit Marathi poet named Baburao Begul,she added that some poems convey their point very strongly.”With usage of phrases like ’go abroad and be somebody else‘and’or make war‘’ in Baburao Be-

gul’s poem, resulting out of anguish, are meant to stir passions and bring about a revolution,” Meena said.

Dr. A.Z. Mathew, a poet and former headof the English Department in Hislop College, Nagpur, believes that good literature is about the balance between message and creativity. A poem stands by its own literary merit and does not depend on the message embedded in it by the poet.

Mathew explained how Dalit literature brings out the atrocities committed against the Dalits, especially by the higher castes in society. For him, poetry as a form of protest is relevant, as it can express the point effectively.

“What started as protest poetry using common parlance is turned into highly creative writing, as reflected in today’s Dalit poems,” Mathew added.

He said that in the first few pages of books in Dalit literature, it reads like propaganda and the creative part is submerged. Over time, the poetry style has developed. “It isn’t poetry without creative expression,” he added.Dalit poetry can’t be without its communal identity. To him, examining the pattern of the social message of Dalit poets overwhelming their creativity is vital.

Within Dalit community, there exist socio-economic and gender bias,“so their protest is a universal phenomenon, which finds similar disparities in other majority communities too,” he added.

Komal Gopwani, who loves reading and writing English poems, said that Dalit poetry comes across as interesting and helpful for the future generations to understand the political conditions of any time period.

It depicts a picture of society. “As poetry puts the reader on the thinking track, it offers a different perspective.

But,it can’t be extreme to the extent that people turn violent or leave the country,” Gopwani said.

For her, poetry is a slow catalyst for bringing about a change. “A person would have to read thousand poems to leave the chair and start the protest,” she said. With satire, as an essential ingredient in protest poetry, it appeals to human emotions, with its directness and plain language.

“Seeing the general state of society, Dalit poetry can lead to a positive change, as many people are opening up and expressing their opinions,

unlike earlier times,” she said.

In the study “Dalit Women Poets and New Themes in Poetry,” Pratibha Somkuwar, assistant professor in the Department of English and Foreign Languages at Guru Ghasidas Central University in Chhattisgarh,noted that the term “Dalit literature”can be traced to the first Dalit Literary Conference in 1958, which went almost unnoticed and emphasized how the Dalit class was neglected.

Dr. V.B. Tharakeshwar, assistant professor of translation studies at English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, said that Dalit poems were written as part of the Dalit movement against caste-based oppression. Whenever the Dalits had a meeting, they sung these poems as a matter of pride. Later, these pieces were published and widely circulated.

Tharakeshwar cited Karnataka Dalit poet Siddalingaiah:“Siddalingaiah challenged the poetry-writing standards in his poems by employing community-specific language.”However, he added, the language of the Dalits used in poems which was initially opposed, was gradually accepted by society as people’s literary sensibilities underwent a change.

Tharakeshwar added that the demand for Dalit literature is growing. It already enjoys a fixed set of readers in regional languages and now it’s being translated in English, too. “The Dalit poetry has been on the rise, even before the Dalit Ph.D scholar Rohith Vemula’s death,” he said, adding that several poems were written in the immediate aftermath of Vemula’s suicide note being found.

Dalit poetry has seen a qualitative change from the time of Namdeo Dhasal, a Dalit Marathi poet to that of Meena Kandasamy, an emerging Dalit English poet, Tharakeshwar said. Earlier, Dalit poetry drew attention through direct messages, but now is becoming contemplative.

“Twenty years back, poetry was on its death bed, when people weren’t buying poetry books. Now, the nature of reading has changed. People instantly post their pieces on Facebook or blog it,” he said.The function of poetry changes with the changing times.

“Good poets create new standards.

That’s what Siddalingaiah did,” Thar-

akeshwar said.

Breaking away from normal poetic styles and conventions, Namdeo Laxman Dhasal, a Dalit poet, author and founder of the Dalit Panthers Party, he used words and expressions typical to Dalits in his maiden collection published in 1973, “Golpitha.”He used the crude language that is normal in a red light area, hence shocking many readers.

Disagreeing with Tharakeshwar, Hasan Mahmood, an Urdu poetry fan, said that poetry loses its essence when read in its translated form. He said that Allama Iqbal, an Urdu poet’s writings stirred passions of the Muslims in the sub-continent.

Calling poetry an effective tool to convey the message, he said that poetry can instigate people to rise up and act better, as compared to speeches. “Since these pieces directly talk to the reader, they have made people violent and migrate,” Mahmood added.

Ramesh Bairy, a sociologist at IITBombay, said that Dalit poetry has been central to radical politicization in Maharashtra. “The great energy of Dalit poems in Marathi and Kannada language isn’t observed in other languages, so there hasn’t been an even change through them,” Ramesh said.

In the sixties, Marathi literature took a new turn. It witnessed the emergence of Dalit literature, shaped by the Marathi language writers. Noted Marathi poet Narayan Surve came forward, writing about the problems of workers. That’s when the “Angry Young Man” concept found its roots in Dalit literature.

Bairy explained that poetry has nothing to do with politics:“Dalit poetry brings caste into the picture.”

Ramesh said what needs to be questioned is what Dalit poetry is really about, if there’s a difference in perspectives of upper caste and lower caste writers, while writing about Dalits. Also, the writer’s disposition needs to be considered.

Chained into the shackles of castebased discrimination and enslaved by poverty, Dalit poets have found an escape through poetry, thus inspiring and empowering many others like them to bring about a positive change in their community.

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For the love of chocolate

Bengaluru lags behind in chocolate inno

By Sana Husain

At the Lavonne Academy of Baking Science and Pastry Arts, in a demo class in which eight chocolate delicacies will soon be prepared, Chef Shivraj begins mixing melted dark chocolate in a plastic bowl. Meanwhile, his students, many of them the wives of Bengaluru chocolate dealers, chat about their families and how they wish to make chocolates for them at home.

One of the women, who owns a “little bakery store at home,” said that she is at Lavonne to learn finishing skills. The students focus on a white board, in the classroom upstairs at Lavonne Academy and quickly copy measurements of ingredients for the sea salt ganache, milk truffles and other confections they soon will prepare.

Chef Shivraj looks down at the pan with white sea-salt, caramel and vanilla pod boiling in it.

He swiftly shakes the pan over the electric burner.

“The chef isn’t very happy with the chocolate,” says Vinay Kumar, Territory Sales Manager at Lavonne, pouring finished chocolate into the food processor to make it finer.

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ovation

At the academy, the chef is teaching innovative ways of making chocolate, that are new to Bengaluru and students are eager to learn.

Bengaluru may be experimenting with chocolate, but still lags behind in chocolate innovations when compared with the global players, according to Nupur, an IT professional, who is fond of cooking and exploring the broad scope in chocolate-making. While international chocolatiers are making shoes, dresses, rooms, furniture, balloon bowls and statues at Madame Tussauds with chocolate and infusing new flavors into chocolate pieces, the city’s counterparts are slowly testing new waters, by adding new spices and ingredients in their chocolate preparations.

Teaching students how to color chocolate, Lavonne chefs achieve making chocolate showpieces in the class. Vinesh Johnny, head Chef at Lavonne said that they don’t display these showpieces for selling and people don’t really prefer eating it, such as a war-themed statue they have prepared, a result of abstract art.

For him, teaching these advanced skills is a matter of satisfying the criteria in international chocolate sculpture competitions. He believes that these sculptures can serve as a “nice center-piece for a dessert table, with other desserts around it, for Easter’s celebration. Although, he agreed that chocolate Santa and Easter eggs are sold best on the specific occasions. Vinesh adds, “The demand for chocolates is increasing and not decreasing.”

Shyam Raju, CFO at Divina Bakery in Jay-

anagar, says that what started two and a half years ago with a centralized kitchen and refrigerated van, Divina now specializes in chocolate fondant preparations.

An age-old practice, of pairing chocolate with wine and liquor is being carried forward by Divina. They are innovating in Bengaluru by infusing liquor, such as Absolut whisky, Chivas Regal, Jack Daniel’s, Malibu coconut rum, red

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wine chocolate, et al in chocolate cakes and also “chocolate bottles”. It draws a large number of student population to the outlet. “Clients come up with new ideas of chocolate preparation, so we try it out.

If it sells well, then we make it a regular feature in our menu,” says Raju.

When it comes to preparing wine with chocolate, it is entirely dependent on the wine micro-brewery’s perspective, he adds. “The market isn’t open for that yet, due to beer’s popularity. As if now, we aren’t planning to mix chocolate in beer.”

Not just that, they make small Mickey Mouse figures, to attract kids. Presently, Raju is interested in trying out the “chocolate ball” recipe, where the ball melts after pouring swirling cold cream on it.

At Biere Club, the brewmaster, Rohit Parwani, on innovating with chocolate, says, “We are experimenting with beer and chocolate and other drinks, inclined towards the chocolaty side.” This year, on Valentine’s Day, they had prepared chocolate stouts, which haven’t been made previously.

Made in all shapes and sizes, chocolate liqueurs rose to popularity in the 1990s. Earliest pieces that might have been made with pure cacao beans, today the majority of them are made from milk, dark and white chocolate. The Mozart range is a fine selection of chocolate liqueurs made in Austria.

According to the book, “Chocolate: History, Culture, and Heritage”, by Louis E. Grivetti, Howard-Yana Shapiro, chocolate liqueur is not a new invention.

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Calling Jus’ Trufs a boutique chocolaterie, Chenddyna said that in terms of innovation, they have a popular special feature known as chocolate spoons.

Producing and selling chocolate en liqueur has been traced back to as early as 1666. In New England, prior to the 18th century American Revolution, a “chocolate wine” was popular. Its ingredients included sherry, port, chocolate, and sugar.

On Jakkur road, people travelling to the airport, from far-off places and mostly from the nearby locations stop by Jus’ Trufs, a chocolate shop and cafe.

Wearing a purple apron with “Jus’ Trufs” logo embroidered on it, Chenddyna Schae, owner of Jus’ Trufs slides the glass door open and enters the kitchen.

She is conducting a “chocolate easter eggs” workshop for two students, in the kitchen upstairs at Jus’ Trufs. “…showing you a technique of how to make a basic ganache. Add mint, chilly or nut oil, as spearmint isn’t available in India,” she says. Looks into the recipe and with her hand gestures, she quickly explains to the two students the way to make a chocolate ganache. For learning this, just attending a class isn’t enough,” says Chenddyna. . She pours fresh cream into a plastic bowl and places it onto the hot plate..

A hotel management graduate and a trained Belgian chocolatier, for 12 years she has been innovating with chocolate, educating about chocolate and simultaneously entertaining by organizing standup comedy nights, movie screenings, live music and storytelling; almost everything with the help of eight chefs, at her café.

Calling Jus’ Trufs a boutique chocolaterie, Chenddyna said that in terms of innovation, they have a popular special feature known as chocolate spoons.

Fifteen years ago, Jus’ Trufs owner worked with traditional model of chocolates. Then she invited a trained chocolatier from the Netherlands, after which the Jus’ Trufs team started making chocolate sculptures and innovated with chocolate by making a ribboned-chocolate box, flower bouquets creative corporate logos, “as crazy as the client wants it. She adds that though the small-scale enterprises experiment at a slower pace with chocolate, it is difficult to courier chocolate in India, being a hot place. “Also, India isn’t a chocolate-eating country. Its demand is higher in France.”

Jus’ Trufs, that mainly deals in Belgian chocolate variety, has seen an increasing demand, selling thousand Bean to Bar pieces every week at the airport, in the past two weeks.

“Although Jus’ Trufs offers a great range, the city needs to buck up and get better at their profession of chocolate-making,” Nupur says.

Bliss Chocolate Lounge, an international chocolatier in Bengaluru deals in customized chocolates, with innovations that include a chocolate Taj Mahal, Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies, chocolate picture frames and even a house made of chocolate.

“The unique thing about the Bliss variety is the spice chocolate range,” says Oblash, the manager at Bliss Chocolate Lounge, in Kormangala. He explains that larger and expensive chocolate creations like chocolate statues, rooms, furniture are possible with tremendous support from the internal system of the chocolate brand, factory, investors and ultimately good finance strategies.

Seeing 70 percent of adults in Bengaluru visiting Bliss for chocolates, the organization hasn’t changed the chocolate-making techniques for the past two years. He said that despite no change, they aren’t losing customers, and in fact Bliss has seen a ten percent increase in business every year.

As part of their seasonal innovation, catering to different chocolate preferences of people during festivals, they have made chocolate Taj Mahal, chocolate-couple-showpiece and gift boxes with chocolates, containing different flavored filling.

Ultimately, Bliss Chocolate Lounge concentrates on maintaining its infrastructure, style, ambience and most importantly, the smell of its chocolates.

As Lavonne Academy of Baking Science and Pastry Arts is working with abstract-art chocolate creations, other stores are moving at a slower pace in their experiment with chocolate. Perhaps, the way “slow and steady wins the race”, Bengaluru will catch up with the invigorating rhythm of the international chocolatiers and become the main hub of chocolate in India.

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A safe ride home Indian cities see a rising trend of all women cab services

By Ankita Sil 14

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9:30 p.m A girl is waiting for a cab.

Cab comes.

Girl: Please, take me to Marathahalli.

Cab driver: Madame, I won’t go that side, too far.

Girl: Please anna, I will pay 100 rupees extra.

Cab driver: OK. This is a conversation many women working in metro cities often have.

With prolonged work hours, many women feel unsafe to travel alone at night. If they’re lucky, their employers provide transportation.

“We offer pool car services to all our employees during nights. They are also offered security guards along with them,” said Prashant, public relations officer for Binfex Technology Solutions Pvt. Ltd, Bengaluru. While some big companies do provide car pool services for their female employees at night, the risks still exist.

The safety of women in India is questioned every day.

Recent NCRB (National Crime Record Bureau) data reveals that the total number of rape cases in India for the year 2014 stood at 37,413. The data shoes that in 2014 a total number of 1813 cases were registered, in 2013 it was 1441 and 585 in 2012. Bengaluru had 104 cases, ranking third nationally after Delhi and Mumbai.

In 2014 a total of 607 cases of rape, was reported in Mumbai, as compared to 391 in 2013. Whereas in Chennai 65 cases were reported as compared to 83 in 2013, while Kolkata reported 36 cases of rape as compared to 75 in 2013.

With the rising number of crimes against women and growing concern for women’s safety, India is see a rise in the number of by women and for women cab services.

Vandana Suri, founder of Taxshe, Bengalurusays the Uber rape case in Delhi in 2014 inspired her to start the business. Taxshe is a womenrun cab service,that caters only to children, women and senior citizens.

“We don’t take male customers, not even a couple,” Vandana said.

The Taxshe initiative, which started

last year, now has 25 “roos” or women drivers, Suri said. Suman Sharma, corporate manager of Taxshe said, “We call our driver roos’, like kangaroos, how they protect their child in their sack. Our drivers are trained like that.”

Currently, Taxshe owns five cabs and their ‘roos can also be hired as chauffeurs for private cars. “Our organization is by the women for the women. We go to several NGOs as well as slum areas to conduct workshops for hiring women,” Vandana said. “Our roos come from a financially backward class, but all of them wish to bring some change in the

society. We look for the passion in them. We train them in driving, teach them soft skills as well as make them GPS savvy.

“RecThe job of a cab driver is still tabooed. My mom reacted and did not accept at first, but now when she sees that we are bringing a smile at somebody’s face, she has accepted.

Now she is more enthusiastic about this initiative and regularly talks to my roos. I am from Bombay, so I am not fluent with the local tongue thus my mother talks to them.”

Like Taxshe, Priyadarshini Taxi is providing a similar service to women in Mumbai. It is an initiative started

by Susieben Shah, an entrepreneur and social activist.

Currently, there are 50 cabs working for Priydarshini Taxi service: “We are in the business for ten years, we work 24/7. Though we only hire female drivers, we cater to both male and female customers. Our cars are well equipped with panic buttons. “Our organisation is a women empowerment programme. We are a group of women who wanted to be successful in life, but was lacking opportunity. This initiative is helping us following our dream,” explained Shammi, an employee of Priyadarshini Taxi.

She Taxi, another all women initiative, was launched in Trivandrum in November 2013 with five entrepreneurs. Currently, there are 45 She Taxis across three cities -- Trivandrum, Cochin and Kozhikode. It is an government initiative a public-private partnership (PPP) that supports gender equality It was initiated by the Gender Park, Government of Kerala, which is a platform to promote a sustainable business model for the economic empowerment, safety and security of women through promotion of entrepreneurship. The Kerala State Women’s Development Corporation (KSWDC) and nationalised banks provide access to financing for women entrepreneurs from all aspects of the society which includes taxi services as well.

Manvinder Kaur, a women’s studies professor from Panjab University said, “This kind of initiative gives the women a chance to prove that even they can do whatever they want. This sector is a complete male-dominated society and venturing into this domain is a great idea.

“People generally associate women with bad drivers, these organisations will break those taboos, too. Though this is just a drop in the ocean, but still it will have a great rippling effect into the society.”

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Silk road Silk processing units of Ramanagara face losses due to drought like condition

By Prabhpreet Singh Sood

Deep inside Ramanagara are houses one after the other, like books lined on a shelf. The lanes are narrow. If two auto-rickshaws came from opposite directions, one of them always would have to move backward to give way for the other. And the lanes are filled with loud noise. It sounded like ten tailoring machines working together continuously for hours. There were regular intervals between the silence and then the noise created by the machine.

This sound starts reverberating through the village from eight in the morning.

For one hour in the afternoon, 12 to one, it stops, and resumes again after lunch.

The sound is generated by the machines set up in most of the houses within this part of Ramanagara. These machines are used to extract silk yarns from silk worms. Most of these houses run a small unit where labourers work on machines to process silk from the worms.

There are thousands of houses in the village where silk processing takes place on a daily basis.

Ramanagara is known as the silk city of Karnataka. It is from here that the silk yarns are exported to the neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh for their textile industries.

Every other house in Ramanagara has a little to contribute to the history of the

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silk city it is today.

But the scene has changed. For the past

from previous generations due to the fall in the availability of cocoons in the market. “The number of cocoons brought from the farms are less now,� said Nayaz Khan, 39, who runs a silk production unit from his home in Ramanagara.

Initially, we used to get one kilogram of yarn from five kilograms of cocoon. Now, to get one kilogram, we have to process 7 kilograms of cocoon - Nayaz Khan Owner of a silk production unit from

four months, the men in this village who process the cocoons find it hard to do the business that was handed over to them

Nayaz, whose family consists of his wife, mother and two children, complained of experiencing a loss of three lakh rupees during the past four months.

The number of cocoons reaching the market has dropped, due to the lower production in the farms. This, in turn, is due to the lower water supply due to the ongoing drought in the areas with mulberry plantations. Silk is produced from silk worms that are fed mulberry plants.

These worms spin a silk cocoon and turn into moths while inside it. These cocoons are then gathered from the mulberry plants, most of which are sold at the government cocoon market in Ramanagara.

Once the cocoons are sold to the buyers, they are processed using boiled water to extract silk yarn out of the cocoon.

Shivarudraiyya, quality inspector of the sericulture department in the cocoon market explained, the government cocoon market in Ramanagara receives around 22 tonnes of cocoons every day.

Around 750 traders are registered in the market to buy the cocoon and around

700 farmers sell their cocoons.

On an ordinary day, 21,456 kilograms of yellow cocoons and 19,931 kilograms of white cocoons are sold for Rs.200 and Rs.251 respectively. Due to the shortage in raw material coming to the market, the prices have increased.

According to owners of silk processing units, not only has the number of cocoons brought to the market decreased, but the quality has dropped, too.

“Earlier, one yellow cocoon used to yield 600 metres of yarn and white cocoon used to yield 800 to 900 metres of yarn.

This count has come down due to the lower quality of cocoons,” Shivarudraiyya said. This is due to the lack of water and the medicines sprayed on the plants.

“Initially, we used to get one kilogram of yarn from five kilograms of cocoon.

Now, to get one kilogram, we have to process 7 kilograms of cocoon,” Nayaz Khan said.

He explained he has 14 labourers in his unit and has to pay them daily.

“It costs me Rs.3,445 in giving daily wages alone and all I collect when I sell the yarn is only Rs.2,800,” he said.

Nayaz is one among many in Ramanagara who said they are running cocoon processing units on a loss.

Satish R.K, 49, who has been running a cocoon processing unit for the past 28 years, said that each labourer demands a lakh rupee in advance for their work.

He has eight labourers and shares the sentiments of other silk processors about this new situation that has hit the industry without any warning.

“The durability of the cocoon has also come down. Initially, the cocoons could be stored up to seven days. This has now reduced to three days,” Satish said.

“I have a son who is studying for engineering in Mysore. I also have to pay my

labourers on a daily basis. If the situation goes on like this, I do not know where I will find money from.”

The owners are not the only ones who are affected by this dip in the quality of cocoons that has hit the markets. The loss they suffer affects the labourers too.

“Two of my labourers come from Bihar.

They have to send some money to their families, too. What I pay them itself is not enough. How is it possible to give them more when I myself cannot earn the desired amount?” asked Rehmadulla, who has been in the business for the past 15 years.

The cocoon industry, from growing mulberry plantations to the silk production for clothes, has had many issues over the years. Yet they fight on, giving their sweat to sustain what their ancestors have taught them. Many say cutting the labour force is the only option. They hope it does not have to come to that.

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17

Like, comment, hire!

Young models using social media to get noticed

By Sutanu Guha

Like all the things, the use of social networking is changing with time, from a platform to connect with friends and family to a platform for the self-employed to seek opportunities. The business scope of social networking now exceeds businessmen trying to sell their products, extending to models, filmmakers and standup comedians reaching out for their professional needs.

The hundreds of millions on social media websites like Facebook and Instagram are diverse. “There are many people on social media, from fashion bloggers, to model coordinators, so every time I upload a picture I tag them and that makes my job very easy,” said Mansi Saxena, 22, who has been modeling in Mumbai for the past three years. Earlier, one of her pictures on social media landed her an offer for an advertisement for L’oreal. She also was featured on the cover page of India Today magazine’s supplement, for which she was contacted through Facebook.

“It also depends on how you use this, professionally speaking you have to be very careful with the captions, without smiley’s,” said Arjun Singh, 24, a model, in Delhi.

“For work profile, Facebook is better than Instagram.”

He added that having options for suggestions and links on his Facebook page has helped him build his career without having to hire a public relations manager. It is with the help of this social media that Arjun , now also a radio jockey, landed his first commercial for OLX. Social network also has its methods and systems. The number of likes that one picture gets tends to follow a pattern, Arjun explained, adding that “my picture gets more likes on the day of my upload, after two to three days the rate at which the picture gets the like decreases.” Putting it simply, it all depends on how long a particular feed is on top of your timeline.

“Keep updating, that will give you an upper hand in the news feed,” said Shrejit Guha, an independent filmmaker from Kolkata, who depends on social media mainly to “find a fresh face with required skills as the role covets. ” He said that “in terms of marketing, social media has huge potentials,” pointing out how platforms like YouTube and Vimeo are great platforms for budding filmmakers.

Not just that, social media represent a very easy hangout spot for many budding filmmakers to get in touch with many models and actors with whom they start a conversation before finalizing their work.

Saptarshi Roy Choudhury, a budding filmmaker in Kolkata, who networks on Facebook, said, ” I give a status then tell my friends and give a briefing, maybe ask for their views through chat.” And it is only after that’s done that he goes around finalizing arrangements with new contacts, by meeting them in person.

Because social media is not without its trolls and liars, “with experience you know who is talking work and who is talking bull shit,” said Manisha Saxena.

“Social media is actually very important but it can be a blunder too to misuse.”

Shreejit Guha’s facebook page

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Cartoon God Kerala parody religion

challenges established beliefs

By Mathew Joy Mathew On March 21, 2016, in Calicut, Kerala, around 300 people from different walks of life got together and threw paper balls at a jackfruit, followed by a lecture on “Dinkopanishad” and a tapioca song to end the meeting.

Dinkoism is a new parody religion from Kerala which came out in January 2016 that idolizes a cartoon mouse called Dinkan who wears a golden costume, red underwear outside and red star on his chest. He was first featured in the children’s magazine Balamangalam in 1983.

Since its starting in January, group’s strength on Facebook has grown to more than 33,000. Since the character was featured in Malayalam, Dinkoism has a big following among Keralities.

Dinkoists believe that Dinkan is the one true God who created the universe 14 billion years ago. Dinkoists are not keen on prayers as they believe Dinkan is not a narcissist or an egomaniac who needs constant praises like other gods. They also believe that Dinkan doesn’t have time to solve problems concerning humans as he is considered to be busy with supernova explosions , neutron stars and black holes.

Though the idea of Dinkoism was prominent on some Malayalam Facebook groups, its first public appearance outside the virtual world was when the Malayalam movie called “Professor Dinkan” was announced in January 2016.

Dinkoists, the followers of Dinkoism, organized a protest outside a restaurant in Cochin owned by the actor who starred in the movie .They claimed their god had been dishonoured by naming a movie after him. According to local media reports, the director of the movie apologized for naming the movie “Professor Dinkan” and said that the movie had no intention of hurting anybody’s religious sentiments.

At first glance, a Dinkoist would seem like extremely religious, quoting Dinkan. Dinkoists come up with the quotes individually, claiming to believe that Dinkan communicates with everybody despite caste, color or species. The source of Dinkoists’quotes is their Facebook page, which starts with, “Last chance of repentance for all sinners, 100 percent guaranteed results” in their “about us” space.

world understand the power of one true god, Dinkan,” said Saritha, who works in IT sector in Cochin has been a part of the Dinkoist movement from its beginning.

Another Dinkoist, who wished to remain anonymous because she didn’t want to become a target of “mooshikasena (army of rats)”- a group of Dinkoist fundamentalists – said Dinkoism is a spoof of all the religions and their superstitions. She also said that the idea of the movement is to shed light on the customs and superstitions of religion.

Another Dinkoist, who claimed to be scared for his life, said that the religion is a tool to question the strongly held beliefs of organized religions.

Azad, a 30-year-old software engineer who works in Bengaluru, said he is a strong believer in Dinkoism. He said that life-threatening calls have now become a usual part of his routine : “The believers of other organized religions can’t stand and argue with us as our religion is like a mirror in which they can see themselves, so they resort to threats and abuses.”

Valsan, a senior member of Vishva Hindu Parishad, a Hindu religious group, said, “I don’t understand what Dinkoism is about or what they want.” He also said that he have been observing the Dinkoist movement through media reports but his organization hasn’t discussed it yet as they still don’t understand what it is all about.

As another anonymous Dinkoist said, we can never win an argument with religion as they value faith more than logic, so now we have taken up the most absurd idea and made it our religion to mock all other religions.

Last chance of repentance for all sinners, 100 percent guaranteed results

“Even though we started it in Kerala, people across the

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19

Don’t touch the pickle Women continue facing taboos about periods

By Aditi Mallick 20

THE BEAT

“Don’t touch the pickle.”

“Don’t enter the temple.”

“Don’t go in the kitchen.”

Many Indian women must have heard all these admonitions when they got their periods. They received strange and sometimes contradictory advice, and the bigger message that this is something that shouldn’t be discussed. Even the maxi pad brand name Whisper hints that it’s a secret.

A 2014 survey by market research firm Ipsos on understanding menstrual cycle taboos, revealed that among Indian urban women, 59 percent still don’t touch pickle when they’re menstruating and more than half prefer not to leave their home during their periods.

Subhadra Mahanti, a homemaker in Bengaluru, says she informed her 9-yearold daughter, Soudehi, about the menstruation cycle so that she does not feel traumatized the way Subhadra said she was when she got her first periods.

Thakur, a professor of women studies at RDVV University, Jabalpur. She says she believes awareness should be spread so that girls find it easier to accept the changes in their bodies.

I was 11 years old when I got my periods, I didn’t know what to do.

-Subhadra Mahanti

“I was 11 years old when I got my periods,” she says, “I didn’t know what to do.”

She says her mother had not informed her about the menstruation cycle, because of which she thought that she was suffering from a disease and she would die soon.

“Now when I think I feel stupid,” she chuckles, “but I still remember I was scared, I don’t want this to happen to my daughter.” She remembers how she was not allowed inside the kitchen or temple during her periods. But she doesn’t want to follow this tradition for her daughter. She does not want her daughter to be restricted the way that she was.

Vandana, a 23-year-old student, says she belongs to a family in which these traditions are still strictly followed. During her periods, she is not allowed to enter the kitchen or touch pickle, as her mother believes that will spoil the food. Her mother, Vinita, says that this tradition has been passed down through many generations in their family and she believes these traditions and cultures should be followed.

“I didn’t know about all this, when one day I woke up and saw blood stain on my bed sheet,” Vandana says. “I freaked out.”

Freaking out is natural, says Indu

“This is a natural phenomenon, this has nothing to do with culture,” she says, “but few people think their daughters are too young to know about this.”

“Efforts by authorities to spread awareness among girls have not helped. For instance, the subject of menstruation was not introduced until class 9 by which time most of the girls already had their first period. Indu says.

“The myths that people follow are not relevant to menstruation, like not washing their hair, not touching the pickle, sleeping in areas away from the house, these are age-old myths imposed by families that considered periods as im-

pure,” Indu explains.

“If I want to pray or visit temple, my menstruation cycle doesn’t stop me,” says Prabha Pathak, an IT professional in Bengaluru, “only my mood swings can,” But back in Ranchi, she says, her family is still particular about practices.

“Some taboos, like not wearing whites, not leaving the house and not exercising, all started at a time when good sanitary protection did not exist and women had to use cloth during their periods. But today, when there are sanitary napkins available, women shouldn’t worry about following such practices,” says Anuradha Soni, 43-year-old homemaker in Bengaluru.

A study conducted among 300 female students between the ages of 10 to 19, by researchers in the Department of Sociology at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, showed that 73.7 percent of girls believe that menstruation is a natural physiological process, whereas 16.6 percent and 5.0 percent believe it as acurse from god or the result of some sin, and 4.7 percent of girls believe that it is an abnormal process. Among the respondents, 61.3 percent knew about menstruation before starting their periods. Among the 300 respondents, 55.3 percent were told about periods by their mothers. Other sources of information were sisters, friends, teachers and relatives.

A 2012 report from the National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health showed that such taboos about menstruation impact the emotional state, mentality, lifestyle and health of girls and women. Large numbers of girls in many less economically developed countries drop out of school when they begin menstruating, including more than 23 percent of girls in India.

In 2010, the Government of India, under the National Rural Health Mission, approved a scheme to improve menstrual hygiene for 1.5 crore adolescent girls by distributing low-cost sanitary napkins in rural areas. However, the scheme is still in its pilot phase.

Medical science has taken a big step towards progress and simplified the concept of menstruation so it is important to spread awareness among girls so that girls find it easier to accept the changes in their bodies and so that they know menstruation doesn’t make women weak or impure.

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21

The beat goes on

Internationally acclaimed percussionist plays the djembe protesting against oppression

By Sutanu Guha

The stage was being set up.

“Check . Check” The mics were being tested. Mr Robin Balu reached the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited staff quarters on Swami Vivekananda road, in the nick of time. A friend of his who had asked for his help this one performance, was already on the stage, sound testing all the percussion instruments. On seeing Mr. Robin, the friend waved to the late comer.

Robin smiled and waved, too, hurrying up on the stage. After formal handshakes with the other musicians on the stage, Balu unpacked his djembe and sat on a chair, positioning his instrument between his legs then playing it for sound check.

The living room on the first floor of the quarters which was now

a changing room, was growing warmer by the minute, filled with the fragrance of deodorant and strange smell that comes from the ironed clothes that were being unfolded.

The musicians changed into green and blue long kurtas, draped long beaded necklaces around their necks and drew three white lines on their foreheads ending it with a small red bindi on the line in the middle “This dress is very important for folk musicians,” Mr Robin said. They were now ready. They walked out of the room toward the stage, greeted by the concert organizers, and Jambe, an internationally acclaimed percussionist, took a final look at the audience and sat on chair behind his djembe.

“Ladies and gentleman we have

today two folk groups from two different parts of India, Sachin Savera group and the Matribhoomi group, so can we please have a big round of applause,” said the anchor The audience obliged.

It has been more than three years that Mr Robin Balu has been performing as a full time artist. His contribution to the art circuit in Bengaluru as a “protest artist,” has not only made him a popular among other artists but also a regular performer. ”I have played for three hours on the stage alone before,” said Mr Robin Balu, who is now more popularly now known as Balu Jambe due to his playing the djembe for the past ten years, doesn’t feel nervous any more.

His association with beats started very young, when he used to drum on steel plates from 5th standard. His curiosity about percussion instruments once inspired him to ask to play his physical training teacher’s drum. When the teacher gave it to him, he played it so well that from that day on his teacher gave him the responsibility to play.

Despite successes at school, all was not well for him in his village of Nallakhadrahalla in Chikbalapur distrct, Karnataka. Coming from a family of farmers, he was looked upon as an untouchable “dalit.” It is not an iden-

The Matribhoomi group and the Sachin Savare group before their performance and Balu Jamde(extreme left)

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tity that he is ashamed to accept: “I am a dalit, I cannot forget my background and caste and if I forget then I am dead,” he said. His identity as a dalit has never hindered his achievements, he said. As is reknown on djembe grew, he was invited to perform in China, Belgium and will be going to Japan on his next trip.

Using folk music, and with the help of other folk musicians, Balu now only plays protest songs about women’s empowerment, against child labour and environmental pollution, and other injustices about which he feels strongly. He formed his own band, the Indian Folk Band, a 10-member

and that he has access to the Vidhan Soudha, despite not having a card still makes him smile whenever he recalls his performance in side the assembly “I have a lot of friends in the political sphere, but I don’t have any political inclinations,” Balu said.

“See, politicians have a warrantee

Like many other artists, though, the road to success began with the odd jobs he did in order to sustain himself and his art. In the early days, he traveled in BMTC buses and using the pay phones. He drove cabs, drawing on “my knowledge of driving a tractor in my village, helped me get a driving license,” he said.

At that time he used to stay in Banashankari in an apartment that rented for Rs 2000 per month, and at the same time driving a cab. “I was getting paid 100 rupees per day,” he said. It wasn’t much money in a city like Bangalore, so to keep his expenses down he used to skip lunch or even breakfast so that he could save money for buying instruments.

Even when he couldn’t afford instruments, he practiced inside the cab, drumming on the steering wheel of the Indica he was driving. He also kept the instrument in the bootspace of the car. This continued until he received an offer from an NGO to teach children drumming. “ They were paying me 4,000 rupees,” he said, but even that didn’t completely satisfy him. “I am an artist, I like to play in the open in front of an audience.” He decided to leave the job, even though he said he was offered Rs. 20,000 and then Rs. 40,000. He wasn’t tempted: “Getting paid 40,000 rupees is for self-development, and not a social development, how can I solve social problems?”

Around that time he met John Devraj, a sculptor, painter and musician, popularly known for being the art director on the TV series “Malgudi Day’s.”

He became Balu’s guru. It was also during this time that Balu joined in revolutionary movements against the caste injustice, oppression which by that time was becoming more and more apparent to him. He used to play his djembe for farmers in villages, alongside with other musicians, singers spreading messages and educating them.

The Matribhoomi group in HAL quarters ensemble of musicians from diverse backgrounds. The three women and seven men include an NGO worker and a student pursuing a diploma in theater. Many of the band members knew of Balu through the Bengaluru art circuit and expressed interest in working with him. “ I was training in singing, when I heard of him I asked him if I could play with him to which he said yes, and I have been a part of this group since then,” said Soundarya, who has been a part of the group since last year and has been staying in Hebbal house with other members of the band.

Balu’s sister Mrs Nirmala Ravi Shastri, member of the band Bhumita Baraga (Relatives of the earth), that was formed in the year 2005. She used to sing with Balu till 2010, but now does not perform with him that often goes only when there is singing involved. On Balu she said,”singing with the djemebe, the effect of the folk is felt more.” She also further added, how Balu’s contact help their band ROE, and praising Balu “he has the talent all the major percussion instrument.”

The chief minister of Karnataka Sidaramaiah knows him, as an artist

but an artist has no warrantee, I can play all my life and then pass on my teachings to someone else.” The only other profession that comes close, he said, is journalism because “journalists and artists are always thinking about social issues, unlike politicians, who are always thinking about the next election,” he said.

But Balu is still struggling to make his ends meet, by doing shows like the one he was performing today.

Back in the stage at HAL The flames of the bonfire were burning high in the function that was organized by the All the audiences were also starting to get warm as the waiters started pouring in whiskeys, pakoras, chicken, vegetable were being served to the veteran government officials, and on the stage, Balu sat on the same chair for the next one and half hours. It was a function on the occasion of the Holi. And Balu was invited by his friend from another group to play with them, to which he agreed very easily, for a reason.

While going up on stage he said , “This sort of commercial performances are needed in order to pay for my house bills, my petrol bills, to fill my stomach.”

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23

Animal care Bengaluru’s organizations joining hands to protect animals

By Ankita Sil 24

THE BEAT

Brandy is all red and scarred from burns.

She sits in a corner with a blank expression. Twelve years ago she witnessed a factory explosion and lost her eyesight.

Though her four limbs and tail are intact, still she has to be kept inside a cage as she is not fit to be released into the wild.

Brandy is a macaque rescued by People for Animals.

People for Animals, is an organization that takes care of rescued animals. It is a private organization, which comprises of 6 acres of land. The huge trees and the green surrounding give the place a forest kind of feel.

The green coloured gate is filled with sign boards, “Adopt Me” and “Save me” written on it. There are pictures of animals that were saved by the PFA team in the past, and of doctors treating them.

PFA claims to be south India’s oldest pet cemetery, but along with that it runs a hospital for rescued animals. PFA also has an adoption procedure but they don’t allow the person who is sponsoring the animal, to take them home.

“You can sponsor his food as well as accommodation. More than a hospital, I should say, this place helps them to come back to their original lifestyle,” says Deepika Dhakad, office in-charge of PFA.

The three people in the small green office, working day in and day out for these animals, are the backbone of the organization. There are total 6 volunteers currently working with the organization and there are informers as well across the city.

PFA Bengaluru deals with wildlife and has a strict policy of not entertaining domestic animals like dog, cats, and cows.

“If we come across any injured domestic animals, we inform the concerned person or organization.” says Deepika.

The monkeys are the ones which welcomes you to their office. The huge cage written “Lifetime cell” has around ten injured monkeys. These animals are not fit to be released into the wild as they

Rs 10 which may extend to Rs 50 and for the second time with a fine of Rs 25 up to Rs 100.

The PFA follows a three step procedure for any animal they take in. These steps are rescue, rehab and release. The whole process takes almost 6 months, giving each step one and a half months’ time.

“For a baby animal it takes more time, as they are growing. Our main aim is to make them suitable for the wild. You are not even allowed to talk in front of the cages, we don’t want them to pick our language,” says Deepika.

Apart from monkeys they have rescued parrots, snakes as well as black kites.

Parrots have an unusual ability to mimic human speech. Studies conducted on

they go through a huge psychological change. It changes them completely and makes it more difficult for them to trust humans again. “They associate different objects like chains or shoes with terror.”

CUPA is a public charitable trust that works for the welfare of all animals. The organization was founded in 1991 by Crystal Rogers. It takes care of domestic animals giving them proper medical help as well as rehabilitation. It also helps in the rehabilitation and housing of wildlife in their indigenous forest zones. It is also involved with legal issues protecting the interest and welfare of animals, wild and domestic. They also deal with the adoption of animals and have their

Human beings attack animals to show their power. They attack animals as they know they cannot speak or protest.

-Dr.SanjanaTyagi, a psychologist are mostly rescued from abusive owners, who tortured them. Some of them are blind, electrocuted, and some are acid attack victims.

“Maruti, was kept in a small cage for 12 years and was only fed with alcohol, cigarettes. He was also given betel nuts to chew. When we rescued him, he could smoke like an expert,” says Deepika.

The electrocuted ones are mostly handicapped as in this process they are given electric shocks which make their arms or legs fall off naturally.

Dr.SanjanaTyagi, a psychologist explains why human beings are cruel to animals.

“Human beings attack animals to show their power. They attack animals as they know they cannot speak or protest. The person who can attack an animal can also attack a child or someone whom he feels is weaker to them.”

“Nanny, who was born blind, was tortured by her owner now she acts as a foster mother for the other rescued baby monkeys,” says Deepika.

The Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals Act 1960 covers all forms of physical torture or abuse. Any such act is punishable for the first time with a fine of

the African grey parrot reveals that they can associate words with their meanings and can form their own sentences.

People generally take advantage of this ability and force them to respond to situations. One of the parrots in PFA was taught by its owner to say ‘ootah’ which means food in Kannada, whenever it was hungry. Another was dyed brown, so that the owner could distinguish his own pet. “These colours are very harmful to their skins and can lead to blindness if the product gets into their eyes,” says Deepika.

In a recent case in Bengaluru, a woman killed nine new born puppies to teach their mother a lesson. Ammu, the mother of those nine puppies, a stray gave birth to her litter near that woman’s building.

The punishment for inflicting cruelty on domestic animals (cows, camels, buffaloes, bulls, horses, donkeys, dogs, cats) as per the PCA, is a fine of just Rs 10. If an animal is killed, the offence would attract three months imprisonment and Rs 1,000 fine. If booked under IPC 429, it will attract five years of imprisonment.

Shilpa, the communication head of CUPA (Compassion Unlimited Plus Action) says that when an animal is tortured

Facebook for such adver-

tisements.

Deepika also talks about the never ending curiosity that we have against snakes drinking milk during ‘Nagpanchami’.

The snake charmer puts a hot iron rod inside the snake’s mouth and breaks their fang, and then they seal their mouth by stitching it. This happens almost 15 days before the ‘Nagpanchami’. After stitching their mouth they keep the snake in the sun for at least a few and make them starve, so that on the festival day they can gulp the milk.

“You will never see a snake drinking milk, but after this cruelty their body gets dehydrated and at that moment if you give them a bowl of phenyl, they will drink that too,” says Deepika.

Since the dawn of civilization, from the time when people used to hunt for their sustenance, man has been exploiting animals for their various needs. The hunger for power and exploiting the weaker ones is a perpetual cycle and animals are the victims of such situations. Though they equipped to survive in the natural environment but they are not strong enough when it comes to man.

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25

City heat

Experts examine reasons behind Bengaluru’s rising temperatures

By Mathew Joy Mathew Beside the boiling asphalt, amidst the concrete jungle, Ravi continued working. His sweat dripped onto the cement powder he was mixing with water. “Earlier it was cold at night, now even at night we can’t survive without a fan,” said the 23-year-old migrant worker from Bihar, who has been a construction labourer inBengaluru for the last six years.

Ashok, a 50-year-old real estate agent who was born and brought up in the city said, “We used to wear all jackets and stuff all the months except March and April.”

With February measuring as the warmest on Earth in recorded history and the debate over global warming growing ever hotter, Bengaluru is feeling the heat. Some say it’s

caused by rising global temperatures, others say it’s the fault of urbanization.But many can agree on one thing: It did not used to be this hot here.

Renee M. Borges,chairperson ofthe Centre for Ecological Science at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, said, “Like all other urban cities,

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the increasing number of heat islands and concrete jungle could be pointed out as the reasons for the increasing temperature in Bangalore.”

Ramachandra T.V., also a professor atthe Centre for Ecological Science for more than 20 years, has been studying the trend of rising temperature in Bengaluru.His 2010 study reported increasing temperatures around the city and that certain vegetation regionswithin the city which had an average temperature of 15 degree Celsius in 1992 had risen to 25 degrees in 2007.

Similarly,some densely populated urban areas that measured an average temperature of 19 degree Celsius in 1992 showed temperatures of 31 degrees in 2007.

“The current temperature is even more than the results of 2007, as the city has seen exponential growth in terms of population,” Ramachandra said.

“Loss of vegetation and water bodies in the city is the main reason for the increasing heat. In the last 40 years there has been a 632 percent increase in concrete structures, 78 percent loss in vegetation and 79 percentloss in water bodies.”

He also has researched the coolest places in Bangalore, which include Yelahanka Lake, IISc campus, BellandurLake, Lalbagh Garden and Ulsoor Lake. These areas showed 2 to 3 percent lower temperatures compared to other places in Bengaluru.

Documentary film maker and environ-

mentalist Suresh Heblikar runs Ecowatch, an environmentalist group, from the basement of his house. He has been a part of various environmental movements since 1992.

“Mushroom growths of malls, apartments and such massive concrete structures have resulted in the current situation of the city,” Suresh said.

According to Environment Support Group(ESG) a NGO in the city, Bengaluru has lost more than 50,000 trees in the last six yearsto make way for the growing city.

“The rigorous growth in the last 20 years have taken away more than 50 percent of greenery and have shrunken the water bodies.“ Suresh said.

A study done by the Indian Institute of Science 2010 showed that the 262 wetlands that existed in 1973 had reduced by more than half in 2007.

The heat radiated by the soil is 0.5, whereas the heat radiated by asphalt is about 7 to 8 percent and the heat radiated by concrete is about 12 percent. The hot air left out by the huge air-conditioned concrete structures have led to the current situation of the city. Suresh said.

“The Bengaluru we had in our minds were much cooler, somebody back home even asked me to pack a sweater,” said Jithin Salim a 24-yearold job hunter from Kerala now residing in the city.

“During my first December in Bangalore it was so cold, even the summer then seemed different,” recalled Ravi, wiping his cement-covered hands on his T-shirt. Gulping down a steel glass full of water, he went back to the sun, mixing the concrete in the ever-increasing heat.

Review: Beautiful people

By Sutanu Guha

It has been about 5 years since Radiohead released their album “The Kings Of Limbs”. Not that they have been dormant ever since, because most of the band members have continued with their solo projects.

Thom Yorke released “Tomorrows Modern Boxes” in 2014, and drummer Philip Selway came out with his own album, “Weatherhouse” that same year, featuring t musicians from Selway’s supporting band.

So, while fans wait fora new Radiohead album, they received a gift March 21 in the collaboration between Mark Pritchard and Yorke on Pritchard’s song “Beautiful People” from the LP “Under the Sun.” The track prominently uses Yorke’s voice.. Although this is the first time

Pitchard is working with the maestro, he has previously remixed Radiohead’s song “Bloom” on “King of Limbs.”

The electronic track, a typical of Pritchard, starts off on a very mystic note that stays throughout the whole song, with a four on four beat that enters and gives the feel of a procession in the mountains. And keeping up with the feel is Yorke’s voice. The essence of the song delves into the mystic, but that is just the first part.

The second part of the song heavily banks on the understated voice of the Yorke again, with those magical loops, thank god! The music tries to differentiate reality and dream, just to leave us with the notion that the world is right now and ending on a

sudden note without any low key music works.

The song’s minimalism is a Pritchard trademark that keeps a certain tone constant throughout the music, and Yorke’s voice -- he has now become a master in this genre -- does complete justice to it.

Another collaboration from Yorke comes at a time when rumors fly about the new Radiohead album almost being ready. Art director Stanley Donwood, who has previously designed Radiohead albums, has already described it as a “piece of art.” The appetite for the new album increases, and “Beautiful People” could not have done more justice to it. https://www.youtube.com/

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Night shelter in Good Sheds Road near Kempegowda Bus Stand

Lightless shelters

Night shelters in Bengaluru are not properly maintained

By Rishi Sabharwal

In Sanjay Gandhi Nagar, which is only a few kilometres away from Yeshwantpur, lies a deserted block that once used to house the homeless of the nearby areas.

The steel gate at the stairs that leads to the shelter is now locked.

On the top-left corner of the building, a sign saying Karnataka Slum Development Board is painted. The board gave the place to the city municipal corporation for a night shelter. KSDB has since moved to its new office, which is less than a kilometre away from the previous one.

The shelter was being run in collaboration with the NGO, Parvirthana Rural Development and Women Welfare Institute.

Ramu, who owns a barber shop a couple of blocks away, says that the shelter shut down only a couple of months ago. All he knows, he says, is that some dues were left unpaid.

Similar is the condition of another night shelter in JC Road, near Puttenahalli Town Hall. Shopkeepers in the area say that it has been closed since a few

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ter seekers. So, the inmates have to share their bed with them.

The place does not even have enough water for the inmates. Satish says that the NGO, Centre for Urban and Rural Development Society (CURD), which runs the place, buys only eight litres of drinking water every day.

Barun, in his early twenties, who works as a coolie in the Railway Station, has been living here for past two months. He hails from Assam. “I earn only Rs.4000 a month and I have to send almost half of it to my family.”

With a grim face, he says that he faces a lot of problems here as this place is not hygienic, but cannot afford to rent a place of his own.

Closed night shelter in Sanjay Gandhi Nagar months. A man who used to do chores in the shelter house says that night shelter left him in desolation as he lost his livelihood after it was shut down.

This night shelter was the only one of its kind in Bengaluru as it was run solely by BBMP after NGO Indo Global Service Society walked out of its collaboration. It was reported in 2015 that IGSS chose to do so as BBMP did not pay its bills.

Three out of five night shelters visited for this story have faced closure.

The tenth national report on homelessness by Commissioners of Supreme Court published in 2012 says that Bengaluru has only six night shelters when, according to the city’s population, it requires 57 shelters. This report was a review of the compliance by the states of a series of Supreme Court’s orders on night shelters.

Closed night shelter in Sanjay Gandhi Nagar The apex court had directed every state in the hearing on May 9, 2011 that they should put up night shelters according to the settled norms before November 15 of the same year with basic facilities of toilets, drinking water, electricity, bathing, security and emergency medical check-up.

Govardhan works as a wager in a catering organisation and is from Chitradurg. He is a patron of this shelterhouse as he spends ten days in a month here. He is looking at the dorm from the verandah and says that there is nil maintenance here. “I have to buy bottles of drinking water everyday and the only reason I come here is because it’s free.”

The secretary of the CURD, Veerabhadraiah, says that BBMP has not funded the organisation for the past one year. “We have to relocate the excess funds available from other programs to keep this shelter running.”

He also said that there is an urgent need for good infrastructure and they have asked BBMP to provide them with it.

R.Gopinath, the managing trustee of Sparsha Trust that runs a night-shelter in Murphy Town, corroborates this.

He says that BBMP reimburses fund to them once in a year, which is only sufficient for six months. He adds that the authorities have not revised the budget required for running such an establishment since 2010.

The Special Commissioner of Welfare, Rashmi, was unavailable for comment till the time of publication. Shivkumar, who is the Welfare Officer, declined to comment on this issue.

The NGOs like Sparsha Trust and CURD are ready to improve the current scenario of the night shelters, given that BBMP provides them with sufficient funds. As the night shelters in Bengaluru are shutting down, the homeless are losing the comfort of roof off their heads.

The same report has kept Karnataka in the category of poor compliance of the SC’s order saying that it “has very low occupancy in shelters due to poor amenities, lack of publicity and other reasons.”

It adds that the existing night shelters are in terrible condition as they do not follow the set guidelines and the level of basic amenities are very poor.

The shelter house on Good Sheds Road, one of the working ones in the city, is a perfect example of it. It has one dormitory. Twenty-three beds are clogged together in three rows, leaving no space in between the beds in a small room. One of the norms set by the National Urban Livelihood Mission for shelters says that “a space of 50 square feet per person will be taken as the minimum space to be provided.”

Satish, the caretaker, says that at times there are 30 shel-

We have to relocate the excess funds available from other programs to keep this shelter running.” Veerabhadriah, the secretary of Curd, about the shelter in Good Sheds Road

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Toy story Artisans feel little joy from Channapatna toys

By Prabhpreet Singh Sood The government building stands almost 50 metres from the road. It houses the state government’s Cauvery common facility centre for local artisans to manufacture the famous Channapatna toys. The building looks weathered and old, with black and green fungus growing on the sides and corners of its wall. On a recent morning, seven men sit on the front steps of the building. They have been working there for the last couple of decades. “There is no power. It is hot inside,� said Shafi, who has been working in the Cauvery centre for the past 25 years. All they could do now is sit and wait for the power to return.

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Inside the door is a hall with fine yellow and light brown dust blanketing the floor, ghost of the wood used to make toys. The size of the machines used to make these toys contrast with their size. The machines are big, with thick rubber belts to keep them stable, long wooden rods that connect the other side of the machine with sharp edges which are used to carve out a fine toy out of the wooden piece. After being carved out of the wood pulp, the toy dolls, whistles, key chains and others are then painted with various colours like red, blue and green made from vegetable dye.

A sudden sound of the machine belts

rotating from inside the doorway tells the men that the power has resumed and it was time for work. The men paid great attention and manual labour to make the toys that were as small as the little finger.

Cauvery manufacturing centre is an outlet of the Karnataka Handicrafts Development Centre (KHDC), located in the village of Channapatna, 60 kilometres from Bengaluru and known for manufacturing world -famous lacquer ware toys. They are also called Channapatna toys. The toys are made out of wood, which are imported from other parts of Karnataka like Shimoga and Mysore.

to ensure that they are safe for use by children.

“We are now trained by the government to use spray paints and modern machineries,” said Ismail.

Though the government has introduced machinery to make the work easier, there still are artisans in the villages of Channapatna who make the toys manually at home.

“For the last few years the demand for the toys has been on a rise,” said Mujeed, who has been an artisan at Cauvery for the last 27 years.

According to the artisans in Cauvery, they receive a contract of upto Rs.6,000 every month from the Karnataka government. Apart from the contracts given by the government at their workplace, each artisan in Cauvery manufactures the toys for their individual orders.

An artisan at the common facility centre of the KSHDC The toys are sold on a large scale by various industries, both private and government, within and outside the country. Small shops that sell these toys are lined on the sides of the road to Mysore from Bangalore.

The market for these toys is large yet the hands that make them colourful are fighting for a livelihood. Though Channapatana, the toy town of Karnataka is world-famous, the artisans who make them are hardly known to anyone.

“We do not get half the price of which it is sold in the outlets,” said Ismail, who has been working in the manufacturing centre for the past 40 years.

Channapatna toys are not a modern creation. The art came to India at least a couple of centuries ago.

Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore kingdom, invited artisans from Persia in the 18th century to train the local artisans in India. For about two centuries, the artisans have used ivory, sandal, rose and teak woods to make dolls for domestic purchase and made use of vegetable dyes to colour the toys

Artisans say they see great fluctuation in orders for the toys. Chandrappa, 68, who has been making toys for the last 50 years, has been idle for several days.

“No orders have come,” he said. “All I can do is wait.”

Such volatility and irregular income have led to a drop in the numbers of artisans in the town and neighbouring villages over the last couple of decades.

“There used to be around 6000, now only around 2000 are left,” Shafi said.

Fluctuations in orders and demand might not be the only reason the number of artisans is decreasing.

Manufacturing the toys in the factory means using machines that risk personal safety.

The government has no insurance scheme for the artisans.

“My finger got cut while working. I had to take the complete expense for the treatment despite the fact that this I am doing this for the government,” Shafi said.

Many artisans said they love their job, but to them, fortune does not

come with their passion.

“We would never teach this work to our children. There is no way they can earn something out of this,” Mujeed said.

A registered society with representation from the department of industries and Commerce, Karnataka government, has set up an area in Channapatna called the crafts park which accommodates private trusts that employ small-scale artisans for manufacturing lacquer ware products. The park was established in the late 2000s to preserve and grow traditional artisans’ skills by providing them with employment opportunities.

Though the area is large and facilities modern, the only lacquer ware workshop that is functioning is Shilpa trust.

It is a self-help initiative which consists of 20 labourers and exports its products to Germany, The United States and Switzerland.

“There is a great demand for lacquer ware toys abroad. We use high-tech machinery for their production and the labourers are trained accordingly for the purpose,” said Dileep, manager of the trust.

According to Dileep, there are small units of people working in around ten houses in Nilasandra where the toys are being manufactured manually.

This is their only means of income.

“We do not earn much income from this. But this is the only job we know.

We have to continue no matter how much ever we get,” said Asha, one of the members of the home manufacturing units in Nilasandra.

Not only the small-scale artisans in Nilasandra, the artisans employed in the government and well as private sector are struggling to earn despite the industry flourishing over the last half a decade. All they can do is hope that the benefits of the growing demand will trickle down to them as well.

But the colour of their lives has been fading, unlike their colourful artistry.

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Climbing high Coconut pickers risk their lives for livelihood

Check it out City’s libraries struggle for survival in digital age

Kohl play Packaging of kajal changes, but it remains in vogue Editor-in-chief: Rishi Sabharwal Assignment editor: Aditi Mallick Copy editors: Mathew Joy Mathew, Ankita Sil Page layout designers: Sana Husain, Prabhpreet Singh Sood, Sutanu Guha

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