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Rohingyas: The Harum Scarum crisis in Bengaluru – The Softcopy

Tiny homes, No toilets. More than 50 percent of children living in refugee camps suffer from malnutrition. Bengaluru: The persecuted Rohingya Muslims in Bengaluru are grasping at straws, trying to survive in their tiny shanties without proper sanitation or water facilities. More than 50 percent of children living in the area suffer from malnutrition, activists Thomas Mathew and R. Kaleem Ullah who surveyed them found. Recently, Laila Begum gave birth to twins who are growing up malnourished be

Srishti Art Attack: Love, Art and Dissent in New India

It was 9 pm on a cold January night when thousands of people assembled at Ram Leela Maidan to witness one of India’s finest statesmen – Atal Bihari Vajpayee – speak. That night, Vajpayee spoke of freedom, democratic rights and fundamental rights to disagree with those who rule us. Today, the very party he represented has turned the narrative on its head by launching a new-age ‘saffron democracy’ where love is censored, art lies dispatched and dissent is being mercilessly crushed. On January 14

'That Night, I Wasn't Safe in My Own Campus': Jadavpur Student Speaks Up

On September 19, a clash between students at Jadavpur University (JU) and members of the BJP’s youth wing Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) escalated on the day Union minister Babul Supriyo was to speak at the campus. The minister was shown black flags when he arrived and after an impasse, violence broke out in campus with ABVP even indulging in arson and the ransacking of various shops near the college gate as well as the Student Federation of India’s office. Amid the uproar, several f

Dear Bengalis, Is This the Bengal We Always Wanted?

On Tuesday evening, BJP chief Amit Shah’s roadshow in Kolkata ended in a scuffle between his supporters and students holding placards which said: “Amit Shah Go Back.” Soon after, stones were pelted, bikes were burnt and the gates of Vidyasagar College were set on fire. Amidst the chaos, the statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar installed inside the campus was vandalised. Vidyasagar was a prominent academic educator, a reformer, a philanthropist and one the greatest Bengalis of all time. He stron

Thetribalbox • 7th December 2021

India's First Female Graffiti Artist Kajal Singh AKA Dizy is Transforming The Walls With Her Bold Vibrant Strokes

In the last two decades, graffiti and street art slowly made its way into India's vibing art culture — evolving into something more than just throbbing murals embracing the streets and public spaces across cities. Kajal Singh, who goes by the moniker 'Dizy Arts', is making quite an impression with her vibrant work. She speaks to The Tribal Box, about her journey to being one of the first female graffiti artists in India. Being A Graffiti Artist Was A Distant Idea For Me "Trained in Bharatnatya

No direction home yet for Bengaluru trans community – The Softcopy

Karnataka Sexual Minorities Forum says that at least 60 percent of the transgender community has no access to BPL cards. Bengaluru: The state government is yet to create state and district cells for transgenders under its Policy on Transgenders, 2017. The unavailability of the cells and a transgender census results in the community not getting access to Below Poverty Level (BPL) cards, government housing, Aadhar cards and monthly pension schemes, among others. Rs. 75 lakhs were allocated for

Afghan students in Bengaluru start online crowdfunding

Afghan students in Bengaluru have started online crowdfunding to raise funds for themselves in the city. Syed Hasan Anwari, a student at Jain University said, “After approaching multiple government institutions and civil organizations, I did not get any immediate solution for the financial problems. We decided to start online crowdfunding to help us support ourselves.”

Valley of fear: Migrants leave Kashmir – The Softcopy

Migrant workers in Kashmir flee home and tension surges among the locals. Bengaluru: Several migrant workers in Kashmir fear for their lives and are planning to go back to their home states after two workers were shot by militant outfits on Oct. 17. Rashid, a carpenter in Srinagar plans to leave home at the end of this week. He said, “The situation is scary here. Every day we go to work in fear, hoping to come home safe.” However, Rashid is in a dilemma. He fears that if more workers leave th