Instagram’s parent company Meta launched ‘Threads’, a text-based conservation app, in more than 100 countries including India, on 6 July, 2023. The users can sign in with their Instagram credentials and can publish short posts or updates that are up to 500 characters. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, said that the application has recorded 10 million sign-ups in just seven hours of its launch.
A thoughtful initiative was launched by Puducherry prison authorities in association with Sri Aurobindo Society (SAS), to help inmates enter a world of new opportunities and be able to earn a livelihood by training them in arts and crafts. The hand-made products are marketed by Sri Aurobindo Society, through its Aura Experience Store and are also displayed in exhibitions in and out of Puducherry.
IAS officer M.G. Rajamanickam started a free coaching centre in his ancestral house in Thiruvathavur village in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, in 2018. The aim of this initiative is to help underprivileged youngsters in the village, prepare for competitive exams and secure government jobs. The centre is open 24x7 for all aspirants, so that they can access resources such as study materials and old question papers, anytime. It also has around 30 teachers who regularly conduct classes to guide the students.
Journalist-turned-social worker Chandra Mishra, from Odisha, established ‘Beggars Corporation’ in 2021 to impart entrepreneurship skills to those, who had been surviving on alms and to encourage them to start a new life. So far, he has helped 12 families to stop begging. They are now able to earn at least Rs 10,000 a month by making products such as conference bags, laptop bags, and shopping bags.
After her husband’s death in 2001, Shashikala Sanadhya from Udaipur, decided to start cooking classes to support herself and her sons. Known as ‘Udaipur’s Kitchen Queen’, Shashikala now teaches Indian cuisine to foreign tourists across the world. So far, she has taught around five thousand tourists from more than thirty countries. She had also learned to speak English fluently over the years and to translate the names of various dishes like pickles, maida, and naan into different foreign languages.
Guru Purnima is celebrated annually on the full moon day of the month of Ashadh. This year, the day falls on 3 July, 2023. As the name suggests, people greet and pay respects to their teachers on this day. Known as ‘Vyasa Purnima’, the day is also observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of Veda Vyasa, the author of the epic Mahabharata. It is also believed that Buddha delivered his first sermon on this day.
60-year-old Vasanthi from Odakadu village, Tamil Nadu, has been raising her young grandchildren, Kousalya and Karthi, alone ever since their parents abandoned them. To her relief, the villagers came forward to help her in the children’s upbringing. In 2017, a committee was formed by the village administration to offer financial support to the grandmother to secure a bright future for the two children and also provide them with clothes, educational assistance, and other needs.
19-year-old Medagam Jyothi Reddy efficiently balances her studies and sports career, with the support of her parents and physical director Bala Govind Tiwari. While pursuing her engineering degree at the Rajeev Gandhi University of Knowledge Technology – IIIT RK Valley campus in Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh, Jyoti has also won several medals in powerlifting in various national and international competitions.
Siblings Teja, Savitha and Sai Pratap from Annamayya District, Andhra Pradesh, never let their financial difficulties to stop them from pursuing their dreams. With the encouragement and support of Syed Shameer Basha, a physical director in a government school, the trio have won more than 70 medals in various volleyball tournaments. While Teja is a national player, her siblings Savitha and Sai have won several awards at the State level competitions.
Maheshwari, a class 10 student in Villupuram town, Tamil Nadu, reached the wrong school to write her supplementary examination. By the time Maheshwari realised her mistake, she had only a little time left. Seeing no other option left, Nirmala, a social science teacher at that school, covered a total of 36 km of travel back and forth on her two-wheeler to help Maheshwari reach her right exam centre on time.
