Aswini Ashok

As the elections draw closer, we get multiple calls from political enthusiasts to check the background of each candidate contesting in our constituency and cast our vote for the deserving candidate rather than our favourite party. There are multiple apps available to ‘know our candidate’ at the snap of a button, which compile the data available in the affidavits submitted by the candidates to the election commission. While this is extremely useful to evaluate the candidates, one step forward would be to evaluate our sitting MLAs for their actual performance. Here, such an attempt has been made to evaluate the performance of my MLA of the infamous Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency, Mr. TTV. Dinakaran. We may all remember RK nagar and TTV. Dinakaran for one of the most interesting political episodes that followed after the demise of the CM Jayalalitha. First, he contested under AIADMK banner in the by-election that was called off by ECI for cash-for-vote scam and the next election w...

If you are someone who prefers to be away from the city for a while, but also wants to explore how the ancient cities used to be, you might find the ancient temples of medieval times interesting. Here is one such place where ancient architecture meets scientific mysteries. Lepakshi is a village in Andhra Pradesh, secluded from the hustle and bustle of the cities, but, well connected with them. First things first. What is Lepakshi: Legend has it that, this is the place where Jatayu fell after a failed mission to rescue Sita from Ravana’s clutches. Rama saw the mighty eagle lying on the ground miserably and said “Le Pakshi” which translates in English as “Rise, bird”. The main attractions in Lepakshi are the Veerabadraswamy temple and the world’s biggest monolithic Nandi which were all built during Vijayanagara empire times between 13 & 15 th century A.D. What to see in Lepakshi:     1. Veerabadraswamy Temple.      a. Kalyana Mandap A ma...

The Chennai vs Bangalore debate is as old as civilisation. I, for one, believe we should ditch this debate and learn good things from both the sides, like Siddharammaiah, the former CM of Karnataka, who got inspired by “Amma Unavagams” and introduced his flagship project, “Indira Canteens” across Karnataka. Here, I enlist a few (Bengaluru) policies, which shall make Chennai more citizen-friendly. Link to this article featured in  chennai.citizenmatters Citizen–prioritised approach in public transportation: A lot of people would argue Bengaluru has the worst traffic, which is evidently true too. But, what is notable is the citizen-friendly approaches in the existing policies. GPS tracking of buses: With the MyBMTC app, real-time bus tracking has come handy. The app shows the nearest bus stops and the expectancy time for buses arriving at any stop. One can track buses and plan trips using the app. The government had roped in Nihar Thakkar, a teen who first introduced it privately. Th...

Anna Vetticad says in her review of Gunjan Saxena, that it is a story of one remarkable woman, but also a story of every remarkable woman that ever lived. This one line summarises everything the movie aims to portray. It is not about patriotism, not about ‘dushman-desh’ or not even about the IAF. It is just about an innocent girl aiming to soar high but put down by the society that leaves no stone unturned to say that she is not worth her dreams. But, who are they to say anyways? The Kargil girl disproves them in style. It is the story of every woman. Misogyny spares no woman. We all sail through it on a daily basis. It may be adrenaline charging to see women giving savage comebacks and dismantling patriarchy through powerful monologues on screen. But, honestly, we never do that on a regular basis. Sometimes yes. But, definitely not always. Most of the time we suck up and carry on with our work, believing our actions would speak up for itself. Gunjan Saxena is that kind. That doesn’t...

Two things totally unrelated to each other happening right now have a strange yet compelling connection. One is the Indian army’s call for women officers seeking permanent commission to start sending their applications. Another one is the promotion works of the movie, Gunjan Saxena. If you have ever wondered why this, much celebrated Kargil girl is still not serving the IAF unlike many Kargil heroes still in their uniforms. The answer lies in the first event mentioned. It is because women were not granted permanent positions in Armed forces. Well, times have changed now. The Supreme Court judgement earlier in February this year was celebrated for promising equality in the Indian army. Though it is a welcome move undoubtedly, it is imperative to understand the evolution and reasoning of the demand to understand what costs equality, even in its limited scope. Captain Bhavana Kasturi leading an all-male contingent in R-Day parade 2019 Women in Army:        ...

Shakuntala Devi premiered on Amazon prime, a day after her daughter, Ms. Anupama, officially received the Guinness record certification for her mother's record in 1980. Even this inordinate delay is not as flawed as the daughter's relationship with her mother in my opinion. Women are taken for granted even by their own daughters - And this movie shows how. Anu Menon, the director, said she wanted to showcase mother-daughter relationship which has never received as much attention as mother-son and father-daughter relationships. This answers people’s concern on why they had just went about in a touch-and-go manner about Devi’s genius. If not for the disclaimer that the movie is based on what Anupama shared, the storyline shall be brushed off as yet another insensitivity, to appease the ‘masala’-craving audience. But, this comes straight from the woman who shared that specific bond and post-release, she expressed gladness o...