Transforming life after 50

The sight of a fellow student being mocked during a school function five years ago is etched deep in Anoushka Jolly’s memories. But for this 13-year-old, that incident became the push to start a social initiative to stop bullying and provide a platform for students as wells as parents to report anonymously. The ‘Anti Bullying Squad (ABS)’, with help from educational institutions, social organisations and experts, has positively impacted over 2,000 students from over 100 schools and universities, said Jolly as she spoke about the digital platform, she formed three years ago. The Class 8 student has also come up with a mobile application called ‘Kavach’ and it allows students and parents to report incidents of bullying anonymously, giving opportunity to schools and counsellors to tactfully intervene and take action. The incident of the girl being bullied “got registered in my memory and I still cannot forget her face”, she was terrified and felt helpless, said Jolly, who was nine years … [Read more...] about 13-Yr-Old School Girl’s App to Fight Bullying in Schools Lands Rs 50 Lakh Funding Offer

It was in 2015 that the then 12-year-old G Roshan first laid eyes on a custom vintage motorcycle at an auto show in Udhagamandalam. “The owner of the motorcycle didn’t let anyone near it, especially children. My interest in designing my own miniature motorcycles and cars stems from that particular incident,” says Roshan, a resident of Udhagamandalam. Fast forward seven years, and Roshan and his father Gorakhnath, otherwise known as Kesavan, have designed a fully functional miniature car and a motorcycle using refurbished engines from scooters. “We used engines from scooters and built the bodywork for the two vehicles using a welding machine and a cutting machine,” says Roshan. G. Roshan with his bike model | Photo Credit: SATHYAMOORTHY M From the start of the design process to its completion, each vehicle crafted by Roshan, who is pursuing a Diploma in Mechatronics Engineering, took about four months. “We had no formal training in fabricating the parts. I learned it by trial … [Read more...] about A miniature car and bike creator from the Nilgiris

Another day, another allegation of serious sexual assault committed by a parliamentarian. More than that, another Conservative. It’s becoming a bit of a habit. How odd that a party led by a notorious philanderer should be secretly hosting so many dangerous misogynists. This morning, an unnamed Tory MP, aged in his 50s, was bailed by police following arrest on suspicion of sexual offences dating back the mid 2000s, including rape, sexual assult, abuse of a position of trust and misconduct in public office. Though the whips have allowed him to retain his membership of the parliamentary party pending a conclusion to criminal proceedings (innocent until proven guilty, of course), he has been requested to stay away from Westminster . What a way to kick off canvassing in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton, both constituencies holding a by-election on 23 June due to the sitting MP departing after allegations of sexual misconduct. In Yorkshire, Imran Ahmad Khan is … [Read more...] about Porn, sexual assault, rape – Westminster’s dangerous underbelly is finally exposed

Star Wars Battlefront 2 update 1.45 is officially live, introducing two new Heroes, additional Supremacy maps and major UI tweaks that make the game's status effect system clearer than ever before. Read about the vast assortment of changes below, courtesy of a post on the game's official subreddit. Star Wars Battlefront 2 Update 1.45 Patch Notes FEATURES Two new Heroes, BB-8 for the Resistance and BB-9E for the First Order, are now available. Supremacy and Instant Action are now available on new Planets (Takodana, Jakku, Ajan Kloss). Added new Capital Ship interior maps, the MC85 Star Cruiser and the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer, as part of the Supremacy game mode on the new planets. Hero Showdown is now available on Ajan Kloss. New emotes have been added for Finn (Thumbs Up) and Kylo Ren (Showdown), unlockable via milestones. QUALITY OF LIFE Added era selection to Supremacy, including the option for matchmaking into any game. Droideka units are … [Read more...] about ‘Star Wars Battlefront 2’ just got two new Heroes in a new update

In a plush, tree-lined bylane of Alwarpet, in a neighbourhood accustomed to buttery croissants and French- pressed coffee, sits a little corner mess where you can have unlimited portions of rice, dried fish sambal, meen kuzhambu, chicken curry, rasam, sambar, kootu and poriyal for just ₹160. At lunch on a heat-stricken weekday, all five tables under a quietly humming AC are full. “It is heartening to see walk-ins from every demographic: from security guards to executives in huge SUVs,” says 30-year-old Vikram Reddy, one of the four entrepreneurs behind Kaaram Karaikudi Mess. He pauses mid-conversation to bid adieu to an elderly guest with a cane, being helped out gently by a young companion — the duo has been a regular ever since the two-week-old restaurant opened. Repeat customers — and the patronage of established chefs and some celebrities — are Vikram’s proof that he was right in his basic business premise: “Everyone misses simple traditional food, and wants to eat it in … [Read more...] about Chennai’s young restaurateurs celebrate street food and home-style meals

The time is 6 am, and the sun is just about to rise from behind the horizon. There is a nip in the air that is unusual for this time of the year. I am seated on the super-plush seat of the Indian Roadmaster Dark Horse, as its massive 1,890cc V-twin chugs at a relaxed pace. The deep burbles from the twin-exhausts intermix with Coldplay’s riveting music playing through the quad speakers of the 200W music system. I am not sure about the American Dream, but riding a big, American touring machine is an incredible experience that will be etched in my memory for a long time. Here is the reason why: Take a stance To me, the first word that comes to mind on seeing the Roadmaster is ‘elegant’. The enormous fairing is beautifully shaped, with its curves and creases, and since this is the Dark Horse version, it does away with the chrome outline around the LED headlight and the twin aux lights that flank it. Instead, the LED aux lights are placed on the indicators, outside the fairing, which … [Read more...] about Indian Roadmaster Dark Horse: Black beauty on the road

Lakshmi Das recites eight lines from Kumaran Asan’s poem, ‘Chandalabhikshuki’ , starting with ‘Innale cheythorabadham...’ and posts it as a voice note on a WhatsApp group comprising her students. Within the next four days, they post their renditions in the same group. Lakshmi gives feedback to each of them. That is how Thiruvananthapuram-based Lakshmi has been taking Kavyakeli classes for 30-plus students for a month now. She is among the four experts who are taking lessons in Kavyakeli for more than 130 students under an initiative launched by Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan, a cultural centre in Thiruvanathapuram under Government of Kerala. The initiative was launched on April 15. Different from Aksharaslokam Although Kavyakeli is similar to Aksharaslokam as both entail recitation of Malayalam poems, there are some major differences. In Aksharaslokam, a quatrain with only Sanskrit meters ( vrutham ) are recited, while in Kavyakeli eight lines from a poem with Dravidian meters … [Read more...] about How Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram is promoting Kavyakeli

Just before her bout, when Nivedha Srinivasan saw her Greek opponent, Barmpouti Androniki, do a full split on the floor, it gave her the chills. “I was scared. I saw how flexible she is. I can’t do a full split,” says Nivedha over a call from Istanbul where she has just won a silver in the Light Contact category and bronze in Kick Light category at the WAKO Seventh International Turkish Open Kickboxing World Cup — 2022. The 14-year-old from Chennai is the only girl from India to win medals at the recently-concluded event. A gold was what she wanted. All her focus was on winning. In fact, so much that when the Indian contingent went out to explore the charming city of Istanbul, Nivedha chose to stay back at the hotel and prepare. Nivedha with Suresh Babu, coach and founder of Spitfire Kickboxing Academy | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement At the finals of the Light Contact category, Nivedha says her opponent scored three points without even letting her feet touch the floor. … [Read more...] about Bruised yet upbeat: Chennai-based Nivedha Srinivasan recently won two medals at the Kickboxing World Cup in Turkey

More Than 30 Yrs in Jail, Supreme Court ‘Frees’ Perarivalan, the Life Convict in Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case The Supreme Court has ordered the release release of AG Perarivalan, one of the life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, who has been behind bars for 31 years. A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao invoked its extraordinary power under Article 142 to grant relief to Perarivalan. “State cabinet had taken its decision based on relevant considerations. In exercise of Article 142, it is appropriate to release the convict,” the bench said. READ MORE Next Stop BJP? Sulking Over Gujarat Unit Discord, Hardik Patel Finally Bids Adieu to Congress After months of back and forth over infighting in the Gujarat unit, Patidar leader Hardik Patel finally quit the Congress on Wednesday in yet another blow for the Grand Old Party just months ahead of the assembly elections in the state. READ MORE Himachal BJP Banks on ‘Modi Magic’ to Cast A Spell on … [Read more...] about News18 Afternoon Digest: Sulking Over Gujarat Unit Discord, Hardik Patel Finally Bids Adieu to Congress & Other Stories

Most Americans believe abortion should only be legal under certain circumstances, but nearly one in five percent of Democrats, specifically, believe abortion should be legal even up to the moment of birth, a Convention of States Action/Trafalgar Group survey released this week found. The survey, released in the wake of a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade , found the vast majority of Americans believe in strict rules on abortion. Overall, 57.6 percent say abortion should be legal only in “specific circumstances.” Of those, 24 percent said it should be illegal except in the instances of rape, incest, or preserving the life of the mother, followed by 19.7 percent who said it should be illegal after a fetal heartbeat is detected, and 13.9 percent who believe it should be illegal “except in the case of the mother.” Overall, 11.6 percent of Americans believe abortion should be legal up until the very moment of birth, and just short of one-third believe it … [Read more...] about Poll: Nearly 1 in 5 Democrats Support Abortion up to Moment of Birth