India – the Hindu

THEF Chennai/ CITY Front_Pg User: 1044 01:22:36 Replate Reason: Hanging out with the Sheroes Giving people’s Acid attack survivors fnd hope and a livelihood in this Agra cafe which draws people from around the world Sidhartha Roy initiatives a voice AGRA The dimly lit café was stirring As countries around the girls’ orchestra to revive to life on a Monday morning world seek to accelerate the faded cultural roots; the as the traffic flow on the pace of development and moringa tree from Asia sleepy Fatehabad Road out- pull people out of poverty, helps women in Tunisia side gradually picked up they must find solutions to fight desertification, and pace. many challenges: raising solar power is tapped by Sheroes Hangout is tucked the capability of more and more people away between some nondes- communities to enable both in rich and poor cript dhabas (eateries), economies to grow, countries. Crowdsourcing across from a five star luxury handling environmental of funds comes to the aid hotel. In Agra, famous as the pollution, and ensuring of desperate farmers, city of the Taj Mahal, the cafe equitable access to while one engineer in the is a well-known address. The essential resources and Czech Republic has found decor of the restaurant is services, and so on. On the away to help the disabled tastefully done and the walls other hand, communities drive cars, without are enlivened by colourful and enterprising difficulty. The focussed graffiti. individuals often use their journalism here explores Sheroes is on the map for own ingenuity and labour themes such as health, aunique reason: it is run by to solve the problem, energy, pollution and women who have survived successfully finding some women’s empowerment, acid attacks. of the answers. Their giving people and their At the start of the day, ventures may be small, but efforts a voice. Bhupendra Singh, the cafe’s the results are invariably It is important to note operations manager, looks effective. that such pioneering slightly annoyed as he gets Many of these rely on the initiatives invariably find a the furniture set in place. But zeal and personal resonance beyond local the mood transforms when conviction of their and national boundaries lively Rupa (24) enters, proponents. It is such and ignite other bright swinging the glass door. inspiring stories, curated ideas elsewhere. Some of It is hard to believe that till by The Hindu, that find a them have already formed afew years ago, Rupa place in this special section partnerships and created avoided talking to people, marking Impact Journalism impact across different hiding her face behind a Day 2017. countries. They have used dupatta. She did that so she There are several the power of the internet would not have to expose her forward-looking examples and social media to carry face, which was mutilated by of innovation and hope on their message to millions corrosive acid thrown on her these pages, narrated by around the world. when she was just 15, al- journalists from a variety of The Hindu has a long legedly by her stepmother international publications, tradition of fostering and some men, while she Visitors pose with acid attack survivors who served them at the Sheroes Hangout. * V. SUDERSHAN and others. Acid attack discussion on was asleep. “It is those who survivors run a cafe in developmental and attacked me who should hide survivors of acid attacks, and her sister’s kin threw acid on attack punishable with a “The food is really good and of foreign tourists clamber Agra; an innovative environmental issues, and their faces. Why should I,” more and more of them her face, because she rejec- minimum of ten years in jail. the hospitality is even bet- down to have a meal. They enterprise traps providing a forum for she asks. joined us. Most survivors are ted a proposal for marriage. The Supreme Court had ter,” she says. are received by Madhu atmospheric soot to elegant and effective Spreading wings in the age group of 16 to 28 The Home Ministry said in also stepped in earlier, in The manager says most Kashyap (37), a survivor. She produce ink for art; old solutions that advance and are dependent on their Parliament on April 11, 2017 2015, and ordered curbs on patrons are foreign tourists. switches on a documentary clothes are turned into human endeavour. Sheroes, which first families.” that 147 women suffered acid over-the-counter sale of acid. Sheroes offers North Indian on the café’s television. It ethanol in Japan; a This IJD special opened in Agra in 2014, now Unlike Rupa, though, 30- attacks in 2015. This is widely The court asked the govern- and Continental food but the tells the guests the story of pioneering group teaches produced in partnership has branches in Lucknow year-old Rukkaiya continues seen as an underestimate. ment to ensure that buyers menu has no prices: guests Sheroes. As the video ends, women music in with Sparknews reflects (Uttar Pradesh) and Udaipur to cover her face when she is In 2016, a national law was are at least 18 years old, and can pay whatever they like. Suzanne, a Canadian visitor, Afghanistan and launches a that commitment. (Rajasthan). The café was not at home or working at passed under which an acid provide a government photo “We make a profit almost wipes tears away. “I can’t born out of the Stop Acid At- Sheroes. “I felt more confid- attack is recognised as a ID to make a purchase. Yet, throughout the year but even imagine the horrible ex- tacks campaign, which was ent after I joined Sheroes and cause of disability, and vic- clandestine sale of acid con- some months can be lean perience these women have launched in 2013. met other survivors. They tims have a right to financial tinues, Stop Acid Attack cam- and we try crowd funding gone through but it is em- Alok Dixit, founder of the are like my family and even support. Three years before paigners say. then to keep the café run- powering to see their campaign, explains its gen- the guests treat us like nor- that, specific legal provisions One of the regulars at ning,” he said. strength,” she says. esis. “We started an online mal people,” she said. were added to the Indian Sheroes is Tanya Sharma As lunch time approaches, https://www.facebook. campaign to bring together Rukkaiya was just 14 when Penal Code making an acid (21), a civil service aspirant. asmall bus arrives. A group com/SheroesHangout/ Stories that change Inking carbon out of foul air the world Astart-up has produced ink from soot emitted by vehicles, making it possible to cut pollution and promote art Today, for Impact first step toward change. Journalism Day, 50 These include the United Jacob Koshy pen on a very small scale. newspapers join forces to Nations as well as One New Delhi This campaign will allow us highlight stories that Young World, which Even air pollution can yield to scale up and make Air Ink change the world. annually gathers together something positive, such as more widely accessible,” the Beyond the constant 1,500 young leaders from the beauty of art. When soot company said. stream of negative news, social and corporate spewed by vehicular Having filed for patents, it there are many stories of sectors who are involved in tailpipes is captured, it can plans to expand beyond hope and concrete positive innovations. A be turned into art material. automobiles into collection solutions. Stories of large community of well- Which is what Graviky Labs, of soot from different sources changemakers tackling known personalities and aBengaluru-based start-up, of pollution such as chim- some of the world’s most ordinary citizens have also is doing with one of the prob- neys and generators. pressing issues with joined the chorus in signing lems of the modern age: Nikhil Kaushik, director at innovative ideas, in order amanifesto to show that vehicular pollution. Graviky Labs and a chartered to change the lives of everyone — governments, For some years now, the accountant by training, said millions for the better. the private sector, civil company has been working the company would continue Stories worth reading and society, NGOs and everyday on an innovative method to to be focused on ways to spreading, not only to people — can take action trap soot from vehicles and reach artists and convince rebalance our view of the for a better future. You, transform it into ink. them that they would be do- world, but to help these too, can be part of this The team of industrial and ing their bit for the environ- existing solutions be transformational automobile engineers, com- ment by using soot-based replicated worldwide. movement. puter scientists and design ink. The other major effort is The media can play a Discover those who have enthusiasts developed a pro- to tap large vehicles. “We are crucial role in telling the successfully brought prietary, retrofit device — in talks with several large individual stories behind answers to challenges such called Kaalink — that can be this global movement. as good health, access to attached to a vehicle’s tail <> Marker pens have That’s why for the last five water, quality education, pipe to filter out residual been made with up years Sparknews has decent employment and soot. This is then chemically- invited newspapers to take clean energy. Each serves processed and turned into a to 130 minutes of part in Impact Journalism as a concrete example of purified carbon pigment that soot from diesel Day, harnessing the power the power of individual or in turn becomes Air-Ink.

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