India caught the world’s eye when a recent UN report declared that more than half of the nation’s population is under the age of 25, accounting for more than 600 million people. With a major segment of its people constituting of children and youth, India surely seems to be on its way to a bright…
Author: Aprajita Jha
Akshaya Patra Foundation: Addressing the painful pangs of hunger
Let us revisit a small tale from the Mahabharata to get a better understanding of the term “Akshaya Patra”. This goes back to the time when the Pandavas and queen Draupadi were living in exile. In those days, a lot of their acquaintances used to visit them in the forest which formed their temporary residence.…
5 Facts About Poverty in India That Will Surprise You
India’s duel with poverty has been going on for decades. With the nation being home to one-third of the world’s poor for a long time, it has never been easy for the larger part of our population to make ends meet. The country’s impoverished state has also played a major driver of the total illiteracy…
Agriculture: Does a poor farmer get the help he needs?
Ours is primarily an agrarian economy, with much of rural India still practising agriculture as their main occupation. As cities continue to expand, devouring chunks of cultivable land, our poor farmers struggle to arrange for their daily bread. It is terrifyingly ironical that the one who puts food in our bowls prays for a grain…
Cancer Prevention – Dodging the Big C of Cancer
We have all grown up dreading the word ‘cancer,’ for the way it shows itself up in our lives like a sudden ghost. And since most cases of cancer in India are detected at a rather mature stage, the bandwidth of successful recovery is quite narrow. This has earned cancer a bad reputation of being…
Are we addressing the needs of the elderly in India?
Aristophanes once referred to old age as a “second childhood”. This statement has stayed with mankind even after centuries of the writer’s passing away, probably because of the crisp truth it offers. The elderly, with their bodies beginning to give in to old age, indeed enter into a stage of second infancy. They need a…
Why Do We Need To Talk More About Mental Health?
India in its pursuit for a healthier society, has with time, done away with a lot of customs and traditions which were no longer serving its people. Our constitution strictly forbids all kinds of discrimination on the grounds of caste, creed, religion, and gender. More of our girl children are now receiving an education at…
Battle of the Buffet-Feasting to the Power of Giving
Who could have thought that entertainment and food can play major drivers in charitable works? Battle of the Buffet is one such annual fundraising event jointly organized by CIOSA, Chennai Mission, and United Way Chennai. It facilitates fundraising for the participating charities, subsequently helping them in expanding their supporter base through active networking. Since its…
Poverty in India-A Malady of Years
The history of India is replete with tales of over-pouring prosperity and brilliant riches. They tell us of how the Taj Mahal once stood embellished with precious stones and diamonds. We are told how the rich people fed their cattle dry fruits for scented meat. As we move forward into our study of India’s past,…
Why Women Empowerment Does Not Reach Villages
In a country like ours where ~99 percent (Source: National Crime Records Bureau) of the rapes go unreported, the success of the #MeToo movement is a happy flip in favour of women empowerment. Indian women are starting to speak up of what is otherwise tucked away under the sheet of shame, and this is proving…