Kavya had just turned 19 and was excited.  Not because she was older but because she would exercise her right to vote that year. However, on polling day, she visited the booth with her family and her excitement waned. The polling station was not accessible for a person with a disability. With stairs leading up to the EVMs, she wondered how she would cast her vote. One of the officials on duty finally guided her to the back entrance which he claimed had a ramp attached. She rolled down the way only to find two flimsy wooden planks bridging an almost foot-long difference. With four people s ..read more

Are you getting ready for exams like IIT, UPSC, or GATE? You might spend hours searching for the best subject books, but students often don’t realise that there’s another key factor that greatly influences your success. And that is ‘how to’ use and understand the book, which is just as crucial to retain the information. IFS officer Himanshu Tyagi — who also is an institute medalist from IIT Roorkee — shares how he picked the right books and read them effectively during his exam preparations. He took to X (Twitter) to share tips on making the most of reading books for every competitive examinat ..read more

Do you have an incident that changed the course of your life? For Ganesh Balakrishnan, co-founder of Aurm, it was his IIT-JEE exam. As Balakrishnan writes in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), he had decided to drop out of his IIT entrance exam after he contracted chicken pox a month before the exam. He was disheartened. The years of preparation would go to waste, he thought. But when he told his father about this, his father advised him otherwise. He told him to take the exam. I had almost decided to drop out of my IIT Entrance Exam. Until my father stepped in to (literally) change my ..read more

Let’s face it. None of us can foresee what’s waiting around the bend. Ensuring your loved ones are safeguarded in case of any unforeseen circumstances is paramount. Yet, shockingly, many overlook a simple yet crucial step: adding nominations to all their investments, bank accounts, and insurance policies. It’s not merely about streamlining matters for your beneficiaries; it’s about safeguarding your hard-earned money from being lost and ensuring it remains rightfully claimed. What’s truly astonishing is the significant amount of unclaimed assets currently lying idle in demat accounts, mutual f ..read more

The Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), an institute under ISRO, is offering a free training programme in remote sensing technologies. The course aims to help students understand the nuances of remote sensing technology and its applications in geological analysis and exploration. Things to know Science post-graduates specialising in earth sciences or related fields; BTech graduates in civil engineering, geoscience, or mining engineering; and scientific staff, faculty and researchers of Central/State Government universities and institutions may apply. The course will deal with multiface ..read more

This article has been sponsored by Asian Paints A group of students stand in front of a seven-foot wall inside the prayer hall at the Rajasthan Netraheen Kalyan Sangh School in Jaipur. There is an undeniable enthusiasm among them as they discuss the artwork sprawled out on it. The room, which was once only a place for assemblies, has now taken on a new avatar. At first glance, the students appear to be marvelling at what they see. But a closer look will reveal they are blind. The art in front of them must thus assume a ‘tactile’ form. It suffices to say that the art is novel in its creation. F ..read more

Diving into the world of books is every bibliophile’s favourite hobby. It is astonishing how a handful of pages can make us feel so many things! And what’s more, they can also help us learn a host of new things to become a better person.  Disability is a natural part of human diversity. However, seldom are we taught about how to support people with disabilities or use assistive aids. Much of this is because we have little or no exposure to disability — either directly or indirectly.  Hence, here are a few book recommendations that can help you become more disability-aware! The Invis ..read more

Picture this — a school specifically designed to cater to the needs of those with visual disabilities. And bringing this to fruition is a school in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, setting the bar high for its inclusive architectural design.  With its unique construction and thoughtful design, the school empowers children to rely on their other senses to navigate through the educational space. Adorned with white walls and airy courtyards, ‘The School for The Blind and Visually Impaired’, designed by SEALabs, is dedicated to these particular students. “Every visually impaired child has different need ..read more

ISRO’s IIRS (Indian Institute of Remote Sensing) is offering is offering a free course on geodata processing using Python as an outreach programme. It is a comprehensive training initiative that focuses on imparting skills in geoprocessing and web-based visualisation. Things to know: The course is the 133rd outreach programme of ISRO and aims to meet a diverse range of students. The course is tailored for final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as technical and scientific staff from Government institutions and researchers. Applicants must have a basic understanding of remo ..read more

This article has been sponsored by SP Jain Institute of Management & Research “There is a village far away from where I currently work called “Chaurasi”. The name always intrigued me and I later found out that it was because the place was once adorned with 84 temples. The temples now stand dilapidated, with scattered stones showcasing fine craftsmanship and some engraved with intricate statues. Coming here [SPJIMR], I saw each participant as the stone of that temple, and this programme as shaping an edifice out of them.” In his farewell speech, Maulik Sisodia, the Executive Director of Tar ..read more