Virus Hunter A career as a virologist

As COVID-19 continues its grip on the world, the need for a vaccine to defeat the virus is urgent. Developing a vaccine or a treatment is a painstakingly slow and detailed endeavour. Finding a compound that works, testing it in animals, and then rolling it out to clinical trials in humans can take years. But this pandemic is pushing the researchers, better known as virologists, to work around the clock and develop a vaccine as soon as possible.

Petula Thomas From ordinary to extraordinary

There are some people in the world who strike you as extraordinary, gifted and God-sent in your very first encounter with them. Petula Thomas, Director of the Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce, is one such person.

FILM REVIEW: Angrezi Medium

Cast: Irrfan Khan, Radhika Madan, Deepak Dobriyal, Kareena Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Kiku Sharda, Ranvir Shorey and Pankaj Tripathi

Discover the elusive peace within you!

We live in a competitive world where the most important person to be encouraged and promoted seems to be ‘ME’. We tend to lose our perspective of all around us, and focus only on this monster or idol. This ‘Me’ or ‘I’ occupies centre-stage and tries to push out everyone else, so that he/ she occupies the whole stage.

Chiara Luce Badano: A teen icon for our times

Chiara means clear; Luce means light. Chiara Luce Badano was an Italian girl who, at the age of 18, died of a very painful bone cancer. She passed away on 7 October 1990. However, she left behind a trail of light which travels on, across all nations, urging young people everywhere to make a masterpiece of their lives the way she did.

ANTS that bite

Have you ever found yourself rolling downhill?

Democracy... Step by Step

Once upon a time there was a king …” these were the fairy tales that we listened to with rapt attention as children.

Lessons to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic

At different times the world has witnessed sufferings from epidemics of different types, natural disasters like earthquakes, flood, tsunami, manmade tragedies of communal violence, and terrorism.

Unleash the Power of Goal-Setting

“Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines.”

SOAP

Twas the most unusual of gifts — a hamper full of different soaps! Now don’t make fun of me, dear readers, for receiving this gift.

HANGING OUT WITH FRIENDS

Dating tips that will stand you in good stead

From Paintbrush to Touch screen

Digital Art with Manoj Pal

Keep Calm & Boost Your Immunity!

Body knows only to do what is good for the body. Mind knows only to do what is good for the mind. However, what mind considers as good is most often not good for the body.

Home, sweet home!

Once upon a time the suburbs of Mumbai where I live were dotted with quaint cottages surrounded by tall trees, gardens, and pretty flowers.

Incorporate wellness into your life

Practicing wellness is critical because it provides us with the opportunity to remain healthy in different aspects of life (i.e., physical, spiritual, environmental, emotional, etc.).

Have You Ever Been Falsely Accused?

It’s a message I’d received from a dear reader that made me write on being falsely accused.

Pope Francis

His amazing vibe with youth

The Evil of Intolerance

The protest against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Jamia Milia Islamia University has been mostly peaceful until one day the scene turned ugly.

Ngangom Bala Devi - A forerunner for many

Perhaps Indian women are out to prove again and again that they do not need a special Women’s Day for accounting their achievements.

ROSHNI BAIRWA

She fights child marriages and emerges as a change-maker

Quiet Storm

A family that prays together, stays together, goes the old adage. It has now found a new meaning with the Chullai family (father and son) and their band from Meghalaya, who ‘play together.

PARASITE (2019)

The genius director-writer Bong Joon-ho is well-known for his sudden mood-shifting dark comedies (simply put by other critiques as black humour) based on stark social issues and disturbing realities of the world.

KNOW THE TRIBES OF NAGALAND

Nagaland, one of the Seven States of North East India, is inhabited by 16 major tribes as well as sub-tribes. Each tribe is unique in character with its own distinct customs, languages and attires. All the tribes have their own traditions, cultural practices, festivals, folk songs and dances which depict their history. These are passed down to generations by word of mouth. Nagas are creative by nature and every tribe has its own unique and colorful shawls and wraparounds.

Give wings to your dream of becoming a cricketer!

Cricket in India, with a population of around 1.35 billion, is tantamount to a religion.

DESI STYLE PILE

Indian clothes are beautiful. Our ethnic clothes have some of the best silhouettes. No matter what the occasion may be, there’s always an Indian silhouette to suit the moment. You can wear a comfortable desi outfit when you step out casually or a dazzling drape for one of the best parties.

Do You Talk To Your-Self?

“No, because I’m not crazy!”

Who will I be?

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.” — Albert Einstein

She chose slum kids over a foreign job!

She chose slum kids over a foreign job!

Shafali Verma Watch out for this youngster!

An international newspaper referred to Shafali as a ‘tomboy’. If she is actually one, then there is every reason for her to be one! Brought up in a state which is notorious for its alarming female ratio and where girls are seldom encouraged to participate in outdoor games, Shafali had to be passed off as a boy to start her cricketing career.

It's okay to be 'not okay'!

“How are you?” — I’m okay! translated as: I’m fine! That’s the usual jargon when you do not want to say anything more in particular. Conventional fill-ins or start-and-finish-and-be-done-with-it tactics. Just a hello… bye-bye!