Menstrual health express and how a bar saved a dog—our social stories of the week

In 2021, Advaitesha Birla, the youngest daughter of Kumar Mangalam and Neerja Birla, started Ujaas, a non-profit initiative for menstrual health under the Aditya Birla Education Trust.

Birla’s idea behind the initiative was to bring a sustainable change in menstrual health and hygiene management by bringing more awareness at the grassroots level.

This month, in an effort to take the initiative pan-India, Ujaas flagged off the Ujaas Menstrual Health Express, an awareness van that will travel through 25 states and 106 cities, covering over 10,000+ kilometres by road. Partnering with local NGOs, it will drive awareness and gain insights into varied cultures, practices, and beliefs surrounding menstruation and menstrual health and hygiene in different states.

Read more about the Menstrual Health Express’ journey and its efforts in raising awareness and empowering women here.

Together, we can

JD or Jack Daniels, a two-year-old indie dog who greeted people at Chennai’s restobar The Velveteen Rabbit, was run over by a vehicle in November last year. Fortunately, he was saved in time with the help of donations amounting to Rs 75,000 from the bar and its patrons.

In less than two years since he was adopted by the bar, JD had become nothing short of a cool mascot, urging people to spend a few minutes with him on the porch, before entering the snug little watering hole in the bustling neighbourhood of RA Puram. 

When the two-year-old indie was run over by a speeding vehicle in November last year and suffered multiple fractures, patrons of the restobar didn’t think twice before rallying together to save his life and help him get back on his feet. Over the next three months, around 35 people—many of them regulars at the bar—raised money to pay for JD’s treatment and recovery in the safety of a shelter that specialises in the care of disabled canines.  

Reaping the fruits of labour

Founded in 2016, the Pallur Dalit Women’s Collective enabled 40 women to meet district authorities to identify three hectares of illegally occupied or unused common lands and start farming on them. They were given initial resources such as seeds (which are usually taken over by seed companies and controlled by dominant caste land owners) and equipment. 

They plough these lands that are often overgrown with weeds and thorns and level them to grow food grains, fruits and vegetables.

Today, the movement has grown to 80 women belonging to two collectives working on 15 farms in the villages of Vellore district. 

In other positive news…

Saving the ocean

Three young children, cousins, AV Kavi Ashvathan (14), TA Thaaragai Aarathana (9) and DH Nishvik (7) swam a distance of 21 km from Neelankarai to Marina on the east coast of India on Wednesday, entering the Assist World Records as the first in the age group to attempt the Bay of Bengal.

The three children, who are cousins, swam from Neelankarai to Marina on National Girl Child Day. They started at 7.35 am from Neelankarai and reached the finishing point at Marina at 12.55 pm, swimming the distance on breaststroke in 5.25 hours.

According to a report in The New Indian Express, the trio made this expedition to raise awareness of threats of plastic pollution on marine life and the importance of saving oceans.

Young champion

One of the swimmers in the above story, Thaaragai Aarathana is no stranger to attempting the impossible.

In January 2021, when she was just eight years old, Aarathana swam 19 km from Covelong to Neelankarai on Tamil Nadu’s east coast to draw attention to threats to marine life due to the rampant dumping of waste in the ocean. She is inspired by her father, Aarvind, a scuba diving instructor who often picks up plastic and other rubbish from the ocean on his trips.

When she expressed a desire to join in, he first educated her on the need to keep her home and surroundings clean. Soon after, her father started introducing her to the ocean, starting with three sessions a week. She started swimming when she was just six months old.

So far, the duo has collected 800 kg of plastic from the ocean. Aarathana regularly visits schools and colleges to give talks on the dangerous effects of plastic pollution and how we can collectively save marine life.