Showing posts with label Good News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Good News. Show all posts

Sunday, December 26, 2021

This TN woman driver is creating her 'auto' nomy


This TN woman driver is creating her 'auto' nomy

Over the years, she has broken stereotypes and become a beacon of hope and trust to many women passengers.

Published: 26th December 2021 05:50 AM |


Chitra stations her autorickshaw at the Villupuram old bus stand | Express


Express News Service

VILLUPURAM: In Villupuram town, yellow-coloured autorickshaws whizz past you menacingly at all hours but one makes women commuters genuinely cheerful. At the wheel is a 43-year-old K Chitra, a rarity in the town.For Chitra, venturing into a hitherto male-dominated bastion was barely a resolve. It was sheer passion.

She began driving an autorickshaw at a young age of 21, in 1999, soon after the Union Territory of Puducherry started providing licences to women.It wasn’t easy for her. People around her raised eyebrows. But over the years, she has learnt to take it all in her stride.

Today, several government officers, lawyers, students, and many women are her trusted customers, who commute only by her autorickshaw. “When women drive, it is a bit of a joke for men, but definitely not for women passengers. They feel absolutely safe in the company of a woman driver,” says Chitra, who stations her autorickshaw at the Villupuram old bus stand.

Her day begins at 4:30 am. She has to prepare breakfast and lunch for the family before leaving for a round of school trips. Between dropping children at schools in the morning and picking them up again in the evening, she takes up other trips.“I earn close to `300-400 a day if rides are normal. During festivals, I earn more, sometimes even `2,000 per day,” she says.

The rides may go on till late night if any of her regular woman customers need transportation. “Some women certainly feel scared about late night auto rides. For my regular customers, I offer a ride in the early hours, too, if they inform me beforehand,” says Chitra, hailing from Puducherry.

Even after two decades, it is unusual for a woman to drive an autorickshaw in a town like Villupuram, Chitra says. “People are shocked to see a woman driving an auto. There have been instances where passengers would underestimate my skills just because of my gender. That includes the police. They always ask for my papers while male drivers would get a pass at check posts,” she adds.

Gender discrimination also has an effect on bargaining rates for a ride, says Chitra.“People demand much lower rates for a ride than what they would pay a man. This was very stressful in the beginning but now I have developed the habit of suggesting the fare first and making it clear that I would not take a rupee less. But the courage to do so comes with experience,” she says.

Chitra does not shy away from challenging gender norms when it comes to the more physically arduous parts of her job either. For instance, she refuses help from men in loading and unloading heavy goods from the autorickshaw. “It could be tonnes of rice or several sacks of goods, but I do it myself as I feel women are powerful enough to do what they want regardless of the job,” she asserts.

Over the years, she has broken stereotypes and become a beacon of hope and trust to many women passengers. No wonder, women, generally nervous to travel alone at night in Villupuram, trust Chitra.

Saturday, October 2, 2021

Address the aged as ‘elderly’ instead of ‘older persons’: Naidu


Address the aged as ‘elderly’ instead of ‘older persons’: Naidu

New Delhi:02.10.2021

Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on Friday urged people to address the aged as “elderly” instead of “older persons” and said society needs to be sensitised towards the challenges faced by them.

“In principle, I do not like to address them as ‘older persons’ but prefer to call them as elderly. I would urge everyone to address aged people as elderly and not as older persons. This is also in line with our culture and traditions,” he told a gathering at the ‘Vayo Naman’ programme in the honour of senior citizens on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons.

The various strata of the society need to be sensitised towards the challenges faced by the elderly as the problems relating to old age are not experienced nor fully comprehended by others and media and NGOs should take up sensitization drives to educate people in this regard, he said. PTI

Monday, September 6, 2021

Weekend and festival travel picks up pace


Weekend and festival travel picks up pace

Tourism Experts Bullish On Footfalls As Vacationers Head To Favourite Getaways

After a lull of more than a year, people have begun travelling for leisure during extended weeking holidays includingfor vinayaka Chaturthi and Puja. The boost is also because companies are switching from work from home to work from offices.

Booking trends show Chennai, Kodaikanal, Ooty, Yercaud, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Puducherry, Goa, Jaipur and Srinagar are the destinations searched or booked in September and November, as per data from online portals. Travel agents too are reporting a similar trend.

Nishant Pitti, CEO and co-founder of EaseMyTrip, said that compared to August 2021, there was a jump of almost 63% for the long weekend of Vinayaka Chaturthi on September 10-12, 2021 in terms of forward air bookings. “Earlier, we noticed a jump of 54% for the long weekend of Janmashtami...”

A strong vaccination drive and the recent decision on RT-PCR exemption are playing a crucial role in improving the travel sentiment. “Our booking trends reveal destinations such as Goa, Jaipur, Leh, and Srinagar have recorded huge growth in passenger volumes flying out of metro cities.”

Ritu Mehrotra, regional manager (South Asia) at Booking.com, said that with more Indians getting vaccinated and ease in travel restrictions, travel intent was being converted into bookings. “... As per data from our platform, some of the top booked destination in South India by Indian travellers from September to November 2021 include Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pondicherry. We are also seeing intent for international travel pick up with France, Uk ,Canada, Maldives and Switzerland being top searched destinations from September to November 2021."

In the post-pandemic world, there is an increased emphasis by travellers on health, safety and flexibility while booking accommodation. “When it comes to accommodation, besides hotels which is one of the top preferred accommodation choices by travellers, alternative accommodations such as resort, guesthouse, homestay and apartments are also preferred,” she added.

M K Ajith Kumar of Asia Pacific Travels said many people prefer destinations that can be reached by a long drive because families do not want to mingle with people on public transport. Bengaluru, Puducherry, and Yercaud are popular.

T Sundar, who plans to travel to Bengaluru next week, said, “I have been stuck at home for more than a year. I wanted to take a break.”

People are also spending money to experience the best during travel. Nishant Pitti said, “More business class tickets signifies that travellers are now spending more on travel as well. Bookings for 4 and 5-star properties have almost doubled as travellers prefer high-end hotels owing to safety issues. The average stay duration has also gone up from 3.2 days to 4.7 days.”

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

உதவ வயது முக்கியமில்லை: பொங்கல் பரிசு பெறச் சென்ற மூதாட்டியை வண்டியில் வைத்து இழுத்துச்சென்ற சிறுவர்கள்

உதவ வயது முக்கியமில்லை: பொங்கல் பரிசு பெறச் சென்ற மூதாட்டியை வண்டியில் வைத்து இழுத்துச்சென்ற சிறுவர்கள்



புதுக்கோட்டை மாவட்டம் கொத்தமங்கலத்தில் இன்று (ஜன.4) பொங்கல் பரிசு வாங்கச் சென்ற மூதாட்டியை இழுவை வண்டியில் ஏற்றி சிறுவர்கள் அழைத்துச் சென்றனர்.

கொத்தமங்கலம் மேற்குப் பகுதியைச் சேர்ந்தவர் சுப்புலட்சுமி (70). தனியாக வசித்து வரும் இவருக்கு அவ்வப்போது மகள் உதவி செய்து வருகிறார். இந்நிலையில் பொங்கல் பரிசுப் பொருட்கள் மற்றும் ரூ.2,500 வாங்குவதற்காக வீட்டில் இருந்து சுமார் 1 கிலோ மீட்டர் தூரத்தில் உள்ள ரேஷன் கடைக்கு இன்று நடந்து சென்றார். நீண்ட நேரம் நடந்ததில் சோர்வடைந்த மூதாட்டி, இடையில் சாலையோரத்தில் உள்ள மரத்தடியில் படுத்துவிட்டார்.

இதையறிந்த, அப்பகுதியைச் சேர்ந்த வீரமணி என்பவரின் மகன்களான நிதின்(9), நிதிஷ்(9) ஆகியோர் தங்களது வீட்டில் உள்ள இரு சக்கர வாகனத்தில் பொருத்தி இழுத்துச் செல்லப் பயன்படுத்தும் இழுவை வண்டியில் சுப்புலட்சுமியை ஏற்றிப் படுக்கச் செய்து ரேஷன் கடைக்கு வண்டியை இழுத்துச் சென்றனர். இதேபோன்று பொருட்களை வாங்கிக் கொண்டு திரும்பியவரை, மீண்டும் அவரது வீட்டுக்கு அழைத்துச்சென்று இறக்கி விட்டனர்.

தக்க சமயத்தில் உதவிய சிறுவர்களுக்கு, மூதாட்டி கண்ணீர் மல்க நன்றி தெரிவித்தார். மேலும், சிறுவர்களின் செயலை ரேஷன் கடையில் கூடியிருந்த பெண்களும் பாராட்டினர்.

தேர்தல் சமயங்களில் வயதானவர்களை வாக்குச் சாவடிகளுக்கு அழைத்துச் செல்வதில் மட்டும் ஆர்வம் காட்டும் கட்சியினர், இதுபோன்ற சமயங்களில் கண்டும் காணாமலும் இருப்பதாக அப்பகுதிப் பெண்கள் கவலையோடு கூறினர்.

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

1K visit Mamallapuram, big crowd expected this weekend

1K visit Mamallapuram, big crowd expected this weekend

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

15.12.2020

About 1,000 tourists visited the monuments at Mamallapuram on Monday, nine months after the heritage sites were shut following the outbreak of Covid-19. The number of visits on the first day was about 40% of entries recorded on pre-Covid weekdays, when an average of 2,000 to 3,000 explored the heritage site.

While visitors started trickling in from 9am, the numbers swelled post noon. Those entering the Shore Temple, Five Rathas, Krishna Butterball and Tiger Caves were subjected to thermal screening before their tickets were scanned. According to sources, most tourists visited all the monuments.

Archaeological Survey of India officials are expecting the number of entries to increase and reach the peak during weekends. There is a cap on the entry with an upper limit of 2,000 individuals a day in the light of Covid-19.

“If one goes by the number of people who thronged Mamallapuram on Sunday, when the monuments remained shut, it will be a packed weekend for the ASI monuments on coming Saturday and Sunday,” an official said.

Monday, November 4, 2019

This TN man has one goal — to provide shelter to at least one homeless person every day 
 
Every morning D Arul Raj wakes up with one goal — to rescue at least one homeless person and put a roof over his/her head.
 
Published: 31st October 2019 06:46 AM 



 

D Arul Raj founded the trust in 2017 and has rescued more than 320 homeless people till date. (Photo | Debadatta Mallick, EPS)

By KV Navya


Express News Service

CHENNAI: Every morning D Arul Raj wakes up with one goal — to rescue at least one homeless person and put a roof over his/her head. He drives his autorickshaw, picking up savaaris for four hours each in the morning and evening, and the rest of the day he goes around the city to look out for homeless people who need help. Arul founded the Karunai Ullangal Trust two years ago to help abandoned people. So far, he has rescued more than 320 people.

On Tuesday, when we were waiting to talk to Arul, he gets a call telling there is someone in Perambur who needs his help. The 34-year-old autorickshaw driver doesn’t think twice before getting into his vehicle, asking us to hop on and zooming past the city.

How it all began

“I have a wife and two children. Till 2015, I had no intention of doing social service. During the floods that year, my wife received an emergency call from one of her friends at Saidapet. He told her that they were starving and were unable to get out of the locality due to stagnation. I brought food to their place only to realise there were hundreds who needed help,” he says.

Using a pushcart, Arul ferried people out of the area. That’s when he first felt the need to help a fellow human being. “It was the amount of trust they had on me that shook me. I then joined a Facebook page and a WhatsApp group called Makkal Ku Udhavalam, created especially to help people during floods. Requests for help kept pouring in and I did what I could,” he says.

Arul was then working in the collection department of a private bank. He would go from house to house to collect bank dues. However, when the office management realised he was busy with social service for the most part of the day, they fired him in 2016. Arul was jobless for six months. “We worked for six months after the floods on cleaning and providing relief materials. After six months, when the admin of Makkal Ku Udhavalam decided to delete the page, I decided to manage it and changed the name to Karunai Ullangal. Simultaneously, that was when I lost my job,” he says.

Goal-oriented

From helping cancer patients to poor children getting scholarships, Arul did everything he could. One day, towards the end of 2016, a woman on the roadside in Saidapet asked him if he could help her join a shelter home.

“I did not even know what a shelter home was until then. Earlier too, during floods, a woman had asked me the same, but I could not help her. But this request made me take the step to rescue the homeless and this changed my life forever,” says Arul. In January 2017, he received a call saying an injured homeless man was lying by the roadside and that he might die if they don’t help him soon. “This time, I took help from different NGOs and enrolled him in a private shelter home at Porur at 1.30 am. When that sense of satisfaction kicked in, I decided this is what Karunai Ullangal Trust will do from then on — rescue homeless and enrol them in a home.”

Daily routine

For each rescue, the fuel costs alone comes up to Rs 500. When Arul did not have a job, his friends and volunteers stepped up. “Each month, we were doing about 10 rescues and I did not want to depend on them forever. So, I bought an autorickshaw in 2017. A dear friend of mine gave me Rs 90,000 and the rest of the amount, I am paying through installments every month,” says Arul.

From then till now, Arul’s daily schedule has been the same. Ride the autorickshaw from 6 am to 10 am, carry out rescues from 10 am to 6 pm and again ride the autorickshaw from 6 pm to 10 pm before he heads home to spend time with his family. Of the people they have rescued, 120 have been reunited with their family, while others are in different shelter homes across the city. Now, Arul funds most of the rescues himself.

Alarming stories

While carrying out the rescues, Arul says he found some incidents alarming. “One day in 2018, I saw a distressed man on the roadside in Tambaram with a shabby long beard, torn clothes and his face covered in a thick layer of dirt. Talking to him, I found out that he was a film director who took to the roads after his wife divorced him and kids did not support him,” says Arul.

It is often common issues that lead to situations like this, he says. “Next time you find a distressed person, talk to them. Most of them have homes, but they don’t go because there are no loving people inside that house,” says Arul, as he swipes through the pictures of rescued people on his phone. Learning first-aid Pointing to a huge first aid box attached to his seat, Arul says that he is also trained in first-aid. Often, when they head out for a rescue, the notice that the victim’s legs and hands are infested by maggots due to living in unhygienic conditions and with diabetes. The 34-year-old learned first-aid, so he could clean their wounds before taking them to shelter homes.

As he shares his story, we reach the place of rescue. Outside Perambur loco station, we see an old man lying in his own feces, and his feet were half eaten by worms and maggots. Arul gets down and quickly takes the mask, gloves and other necessary equipment out of the first-aid box and runs to the man. He talks softly to him, consoles him as he cleans the wounds. Within an hour, he convinces him to go to a home, and four hours later, he was admitted. Arul looks at us and says, “This is the best part of my day.”

‘App’solutely helpful

Arul also introduced the Karunai Ullangal Trust mobile application on Google PlayStore in September. The app lets the public upload pictures of the abandoned people and assigns volunteers for the rescue. 


It also has a database of all the rescued people so that you can help them find their family if you know someone. If you want to report/help a homeless person on the roadside, contact 9841776685

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Woman forgets ₹6L gold in auto, driver returns it

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:2.11.2019

An autorickshaw driver returned a handbag containing 25 sovereigns of gold jewellery worth around ₹6 lakh left behind by a woman passenger at Saligramam on Thursday night.

Police said Vijayalakshmi, 46, of Kamarajar Street, Teynampet, was to attend a wedding at Saligramam. Since she felt that it was not safe to wear gold jewels while travelling, she kept them in a bag.

At 6pm, she got into the auto of Udayakumar, 46, of Ramanathan Street, T Nagar. While getting down from the vehicle, she forgot to take the bag. Vijayalakshmi called up the police control room and reported the issue. Since she did not book the autorickshaw through any app, she did not have a phone number or the vehicle’s number.

Udayakumar, who took another passenger to Pondy Bazaar, saw the bag on the back seat.

He reached the marriage hall where he had dropped Vijayalakshmi and returned the bag. Since Vijayalakshmi had lodged a complaint, they went to the Virugambakkam police station and the bag was ‘formally’ handed over to the woman.

Udayakumar told police he usually checked his auto after passengers left but since Vijayalakshmi had kept the bag in a corner, it was not visible.

NEWS TODAY 27.03.2024