Parin Somani – a life dedicated to others
Parin Somani has been a busy woman. On the surface, she is an accomplished academician, educator, lecturer, author, and motivational speaker, but this is only a fraction of her achievements. Over her 31 years of professional experience, she has been a TV presenter at Ahmedabad Doordarshan, a radio presenter at All India Radio, author of multiple recipe books, and been...
Lockdown Diaries: Harish Iyer helps sex workers and their families in Kamathipura
Harish Iyer espouses many causes. He was one of the few people who appealed to the Supreme Court against section 377, an archaic law criminalising certain forms of consensual sex between adults and one that was often used against the queer community. He is the only Indian listed in the World Pride Power List by The Guardian, among other...
KASHISH 2020: South Asia’s biggest LGBTQIA+ film fest goes online, opens up for registrations
India’s first film festival and South Asia’s biggest LGBTQIA+ film festival, the 11th edition of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is going virtual this year due to the COVID19 lockdown. The festival is coming up with a full-slate of 157 films from 42 countries, making it the first Indian film festival to come up with a fresh bouquet of...
Lockdown Diaries: The diary of a boy with an extraordinary disease
Robby Khullar will be writing a series of articles for us on Multiple Sclerosis, a condition that he has been suffering from for 35 years. Robby, with his positivity and wit, has been spreading awareness among the South Asian diasporas in the UK, actively taking part in MS research and helping provide answers that will prove critical for the generations...
Immunity boosting Indian soup Rasam becomes hot favourite for Covid patients in New York hospitals
At a time when the entire world is looking up to the US for a “medical miracle” to contain Covid, those in New York, New Jersey, and Princeton are betting on a South Indian staple to beat the virus — the humble 'rasam'. Behind the “viral trend”, obviously, is a chef from Tamil Nadu. The idea came during the middle...
Lockdown Diaries: My fight with coronavirus boredom
My name is Ishaan Saxena and I am a student of year 5 in an international school in Hong Kong. My school has been closed since January end amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Home learning is one job to do but once you finish it, it gets boring. So I thought I could use this time to explore my interest and do something...
Lockdown diaries: Think local, think community, support small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic
I live in London and have done all my life. It’s a bustling and busy City with a population of 8 million. You see people everywhere. Hustling. Shuffling. Rushing from here to there. This year, we became accustomed to phrases like lock down, self-isolate, global pandemic, social distancing, wash your hands, wear a mask, Zoom, ‘You’re on mute’, and...
Lockdown Diaries: Ashish Pandya, Sukhdeep Singh, Anwesh Sahoo continue their work for LGBTQ+ communities from their homes
The coronavirus lockdown in India, that has been carrying on from 25 March, is nearly four weeks old as we go to print. While this has been quite an anxious time for everyone, the situation has been especially tough for the LGBTQ+ individuals living away from home. Their family, work, and personal lives have come to a halt, affecting...
Rhona Tasmia Rabbani – The bright, young FedEx-pert of the APAC region
People are the core of any business and those who are in charge of driving the people policies, hiring, development and engagement of talents, are the gatekeepers to that resource. Meet Rhona Tasmia Rabbani, the Managing Director of Talent & Learning for FedEx Express in the Asia Pacific region, one of the youngest directors in the region of this...
Lockdown Diaries: Baithak UK brings artists virtually together for music video celebrating togetherness
Despite the logistical issues posed by COVID-19, Baithak UK has managed to bring together artists virtually in order to make a music video which celebrates togetherness. "Those were the days" celebrates the power of music and memory, beautifully melding the globally popular folk song by Robert Burns "Auld Lang Syne", its Bengali adaptation by Rabindranath Tagore, and the recent translation (written exclusively...
