A new concept, gift economy, is being experimented in Ahmedabad and Pune, where one may be in for a surprise when paying time comes at shops, restaurants and autos, says Azera Parveen Rahman
The special date 12-12-12 Wednesday proved lucky for a 27-year-old Mumbai woman, Mamta Sahani, who delivered a healthy child at 12.12.12 hours, according to a doctor at the Sion Hospital
Little known Garima Chaudhary from Meerut, the sole judoka representing India at the London Olympics, tells Santosh Rao that winning a gold medal is not a far-fetched dream for her
Mumbai, the city of dreams and dream-makers, is not kind to those chasing their dreams in showbiz. Surekha Kadapa-Bose tells us the adjustments those migrating from other places have to make
Reshma Saujani, the first Indian-American woman to run for the US Congress, now as a change agent wants to create opportunities for immigrants settled in New York City
A gram panchayat in Assam has banned consumption of liquor of any sort in about 70 villages under its jurisdiction. These villages have a 100 percent tribal population and rice beer is a tradition to welcome people with, says Anup Sharma reporting from Kinan, Assam
All is not well with the IAS. Anuradha Pritam tells how the steel frame is rusting and why many bureaucrats are not happy with a system that does not differentiate between a mule and a horse
In the small assembly segment of Cumbharjua, a riverine constituency near Panaji in Goa, a maverick priest is trying to recreate the positive vibes of Barack Obama’s chant, ‘Yes We Can!’
The latest elections in many States have thrown up a new crop of contestants, who are a far cry from conventional politicos. Puja Awasthi finds Indian politics poised for a dramatic overhaul
The wife of a porter, 38-year-old Sanuja Rajan, has won Rs. 1 crore in a TV reality show in Kerala. Life has come full circle for the woman, who has endured many hardships, says Sanu George
The scenic East Coast Road that connects Chennai with several tourist destinations has turned into a death trap due to increase in number of accidents. KP Subramanian analyses the problem
A small army of friends have joined hands to strengthen TWL under the banner of the Friends of Positive Journalism, a forum that was launched two years ago. P C Vinoj Kumar has the details
Ravi Kalra is a former taekwondo instructor whose NGO cares for senior citizens, and mentally challenged people. He carries on with his work though his family deserted him, says Rahul Vaishnavi
Is Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India, Prasad Kariyawasam playing a dangerous game of dividing Indians? He has been accused of instigating the North Indians against the people of Tamil Nadu
Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that IPL matches involving Sri Lankan players, umpires and other officials should not be played in Tamil Nadu
Indian cricketers, including Dhoni and Sachin, let their hair down after their historic whitewash of Australia by zooming and careening around the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida
Student outfit warns IPL against fielding Sri Lankan players in Chennai. Political parties echo the demand as the ‘Boycott Sri Lanka’ campaign gains momentum and casts its shadow on cricket
The Weekend Leader captures the ongoing students’ struggle in Tamil Nadu in photographs, even as the protests appear to be taking the shape of a popular movement for creation of Tamil Eelam
Buoyed by pro-Eelam freedom protests in Tamil Nadu, V Rudrakumaran, Prime Minister of TGTE, downplayed the US resolution in UNHRC and pitched for an independent Tamil Eelam, says Radhika Giri
Sanitation is the last thing crisis managers provide to people displaced from homes by disasters. Now a former banker, Promita Sengupta , has come up with a quickly deployable toilet that has come handy for NGOs, says Kavita Kanan Chandra
A young innovator from Tamil Nadu aspires to create 50,000 jobs by popularizing his herbal mosquito repellent, ‘Hermo’, which repels mosquitoes effectively but does not harm humans as it is non-allergic and non-toxic, says P C Vinoj Kumar
Village Ways, launched by Manisha and Himanshu Pande on the principle of responsible tourism, helps urbanites have a real feel of rural life. Not a ‘home stay’ kind, the enterprise ropes in the locals as partners, says Kavita Kanan Chandra
Social work is no pizza business, it requires commitment and passion says Vidyaakar, who has been running a home in Chennai, Udhavum Karangal, for 30 years. Catherine Gilon met the Papa, who now has 1263 people, 314 of them kids, in his care
A young IAS officer mobilized Rs 40 lakh through Facebook to build a road in Manipur, earning the sobriquet ‘The Miracle Man’. Gaurav Sharma met Armstrong Pame to find out why he wanted to build the 100 km ‘People’s Road’ and how he did it
A grassroots innovator, Dharamveer Kamboj, has changed the lives of people from the barren land of Rajasthan to the dense forest of Nagaland by designing a food processor. Kavita Kanan Chandra explains how it works well for women and tribes
They call him the ‘glacier man’. Chewang Norphel of Ladakh built 12 artificial glaciers that prevented farmers in high altitudes from moving out of the villages in search of alternative livelihood. Akash Bisht profiles the visionary with grit
Identifying clothing as a basic necessity after food and shelter, a journalist couple, Anshu Gupta and Meenakshi, started a social venture, Goonj, providing ‘Cloth for Work’. Then they did more, reaching parts of 21 states, says Roohi Seghal
A father-daughter duo is turning rhinoceros dung into paper, which in turn has turned out to be an economically lucrative venture. Kavita Kanan Chandra explains how Elrhino, the micro-enterprise, will also help in wildlife conservation
Driven by a desire to succeed after he was told that he did not deserve a Pilot pen in class V, Ramesh Babu who worked his way up to own a fleet of 127 cars, including a Rs 3.3 crore Rolls Royce, yet remains a hairstylist, says P C Vinoj Kumar
Dreams
