<h2>Blessings for new beginnings</h2>
<p>A man adjusts a child&rsquo;s topi during their visit to Kapawala Agiary in Tardeo on the occasion of Parsi New Year on Thursday</p>
<h2>By women, for women</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/aug/Kolkata-rains_e.jpg" alt="People protest peacefully at Lokhandwala in Andheri on a Wednesday night" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>People protest peacefully at Lokhandwala in Andheri on a Wednesday night</em></strong></p>
<p>Demands of justice echoed across Mumbai on Wednesday as men and women took to the streets to initiate peaceful protests against the 31-year-old doctor&rsquo;s rape-murder case in Kolkata. One such group who joined the city-wide outcry was the women-led community Why Loiter. &ldquo;The call was put out on social media by women from the Bengali community who reside in Mumbai. We were made part of the WhatsApp group, and accordingly posted details of the venue and timing on our social media platforms,&rdquo; revealed founder Neha Singh. Singh and her group joined the gathering of nearly 200 people on the backroad of Lokhandwala Complex in Andheri. &ldquo;Other peaceful protests were simultaneously held in Malad, Dadar and Powai. These began at around 9 pm. We lit candles and held up placards demanding justice. The aim was also for the women to reclaim the night across the country,&rdquo; she shared.</p>
<h2>Humane view</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/aug/Portal_e.jpg" alt="The session at Santacruz" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>The session at Santacruz</em></strong></p>
<p>A team of professionals and students from diverse fields were part of a unique initiative last week, that was led by the New Delhi-based NGO Prison Second Chance at Santacruz. &ldquo;It was an exercise by India Prison Portal [IPP], a research database and support system to introduce participants to the criminal justice system,&rdquo; shared Rohit Sharma, co-conceptualiser, IPP. The event, held in collaboration with Mumbai&rsquo;s Ashiyana Foundation, aimed to sensitise participants towards the experience of prisoners and the gaps within the criminal justice system.</p>
<h2>The fight goes on</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/aug/Freedom-fighters_e.jpg" alt="An illustration in the carousel questions women&rsquo;s freedom in India (left) the zoom art features Rani Lakshmibai. ILLUSTRATIONS/@bhasmewords" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>An illustration in the carousel questions women&rsquo;s freedom in India (left) the zoom art features Rani Lakshmibai. ILLUSTRATIONS/@bhasmewords</em></strong></p>
<p>Author-illustrator (inset) Ajinkya Bhasme&rsquo;s zoom art shone a mirror on the interpretation of an independent country &mdash; from freedom fighters to war hero Vikram Batra, and the 26/11 attacks, it showcased India&rsquo;s defining moments.</p>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/aug/Ajinkya-Bhasme_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>He also created a carousel on the recent gruesome rape murder case in Kolkata. &ldquo;No woman is in the spirit to celebrate. I wanted to highlight that despite countless martyrs who risked their lives for our freedom, women in India still don&rsquo;t feel free,&rdquo; he explained.</p>
<h2>Flight of freedom</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/aug/Tarun-Chouhan_e.jpg" alt="Mumbai Police personnel free birds for the project. PIC COURTESY/Tarun Chouhan" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Mumbai Police personnel free birds for the project. PIC COURTESY/Tarun Chouhan</em></strong></p>
<p>Before photographer Tarun Chouhan returned to his home town in Rajasthan, his final project in Mumbai came as a commentary on the city&rsquo;s sense of freedom. For his latest visual storytelling project, which was shot in time for Independence Day, he collaborated with the Mumbai Police to release a hundred caged birds in Girgaon Chowpatty. &ldquo;In our attempt to build more homes for ourselves, we deprive birds of an ecosystem to build theirs. And then, we cage them,&rdquo; he explained. &ldquo;Humans are no different from birds. After all, we also cage ourselves in big buildings,&rdquo; he added.</p>
<h2>For a greener India</h2>
<p><img src="http://origin.mid-day.com/images/2024/aug/Greener-India_e.jpg" alt="DCP Mitesh Ghatte inaugurates the plantation drive in Marol" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>DCP Mitesh Ghatte inaugurates the plantation drive in Marol</em></strong></p>
<p>Subhajit Mukherjee welcomed the 77th Independence Day by planting 200 trees at the Mumbai Police Training Ground in Marol. &ldquo;DCP Mitesh Ghatte inaugurated the project on August 14 by planting the first tree. Yesterday, 800 volunteers from Mumbai Police participated in the plantation drive,&rdquo; Mukherjee revealed. &ldquo;The focus was on fruits and special plants to help small birds to nest. We planted 12 varieties, including guava, custard apple, jackfruit, pomegranate, bakul and mango, as well as 50 peepul trees,&rdquo; he told this diarist.</p>

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