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The Times of India •

Gen Z teens ‘coming out’ younger with stronger family & peer support

For many queer individuals in India, the social pressure of ‘coming out’ — a metaphor used by LGBTQ+ persons to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to friends and family — is already daunting. But teenagers opening up to parents is a growing phenomenon of adolescents bravely owning their identities as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender while still a middle grader. What is remarkable is how families and schools are stepping up to guide them through this phase and find acceptance in ways that were once unthinkable.
The Times of India •

Is stethoscope losing its pulse or docs their ear for the beat?

For over 200 years doctors have leaned on this trusty medical tool to poke, prod, listen and draw accurate inferences about what ails the patient. Until technology changed it. With echocardiograms and nifty pocket-sized ultrasound devices elbowing their way into the diagnostic arena, a recent conference on AI and healthcare at Bombay Hospital in Marine Lines, became the stage for doctors to deliberate the fate of this iconic medical relic—the stethoscope and whether the revered art of “auscultation”— the act of detecting maladies from listening to sounds from the heart, lungs or other organs—might actually follow the path of the doctor’s head mirror and fade away.
The Times of India •

Can’t beat it? Embrace it: Classrooms in Mumbai transform AI into ally

When ChatGPT strutted into our lives in 2022, educators got a bit jittery. The worry was that this shiny new AI marvel might lead to more plagiarised content, mess with learning, and make old-school assignments obsolete. Yet, most schools and colleges now reckon it’s too late to shoo away this uninvited guest. Instead, they are opting to groom students on how to use AI tools as a learning aid and work alongside it, responsibly.
The Times of India •

Breaking Barriers: Female Blues Musicians Challenge the Status Quo

It’s a curious time for female musicians. This year’s Grammys saw singer-songwriters like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Miley Cyrus soar, legends like Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell reclaim their spotlight and four out of five contemporary blues nominees led by women. Yet, the shadow of old sexism lingers. “Women still continue to fight harder than guys for airtime and stage presence… the real turning point is yet to come,” echoed the stars of the all-female lineup at this year’s edition of the Mahindra Blues Festival — Sheryl Youngblood, Dana Fuchs, Samantha Fish and Vanessa Collier in a candid chat with TOI...
The Times of India •

Street aesthetics go pedestrian as city suffers an art attack

In the good old days, a stately king on horseback cast in bronze or a charming fountain sculpted in marble could effortlessly glam up a street or roundabout in Mumbai, and stand as timeless landmarks. Then came the era of edgy street art on the faces of walls and buildings, pushing artistry and its meaning. However, the city is now witnessing a new wave of public art — random sculptures in cement, plaster of Paris and cheap metal ranging from wildly eclectic to downright dull and dreary — popping up across the city that have left people scratching their heads.
Times Of India •

Decoding the high-stakes arrival of global masterpieces in India | India News - Times of India

India has swung open its doors to the world’s most prized treasures from museums worldwide. But getting fragile, valuable and ancient art from foreign lands to Indian shores is far from just a bubble wrap. It’s a logistical labyrinth where trust is the ultimate currency to secure loans from international museums and galleries while conservators, art handlers, and fine art logistics companies work in tandem to ensure every art piece glides through borders seamlessly.
Times Of India •

Class act: For city teachers, tiding over hate is a matter of faith

A stark reminder of the influence educators wield was the unsettling incident in Muzaffarnagar, where divisiveness breached classroom walls when school teacher Tripta Tyagi made allegedly and instructed her students to slap a Muslim classmate for struggling with multiplication tables. With Teachers’ Day (September 5) approaching, we turn the spotlight on a cohort of educators in Mumbai who are going beyond academic rigours to create more inclusive and empathetic learning spaces.
Times Of India •

Dharavi hip-hop school to rear b-boying talent for Olympics

The orderly wooden benches in Shree Ganesh Vidya Mandir's classroom have been nudged aside to make space for a new kind of education. Instead of uniformed kids and the rustle of notebooks, the air is charged with the energy of youngsters in baggy tees and cargos, defying gravity, spinning on their heads and spitting out rhymes to the sound of beatboxers.In that very moment, accompanied by a cracking coconut and the chorus of 'Ganpati Bappa Morya,' a school is born-the 'Hip Hop Paathshala'
Times Of India •

Sandwiches go gourmet, and it may be the best thing that happened to sliced bread

Lights, camera, sandwiches ! Move over, avant-garde entrees and main courses, there’s a new star in town and it comes neatly wrapped in two slices of bread. Defying all fads, the humble sandwich — that continues to grace school, college and office cafeterias in all its chutney, cheese and chicken modesty — has stealthily risen from the shadows to claim its place as the latest breakout star on the culinary red carpet.
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