MALIKA NOOR MEHTA, 26
Teaching For A Cause
Brought up listening to family discussions on current affairs, it is no wonder that she is inclined towards public service which includes her work with Teach For India (TFI). Daughter of Tasneem Zakaria Mehta — director and curator of Mumbai’s Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum — and Vikram Mehta — executive chairman of Brookings India in New Delhi — Malika Noor Mehta has fond childhood memories from family gatherings in their open-air courtyard in Udaipur every year.
THE NEED FOR CHANGE
“Without grassroots experience, I do not believe one can craft sustainable policy. You need experience in the former to be an effective leader in the latter. After teaching for two years, I can now name specific education policies that I would want to alter. For instance, schools in Maharashtra must promote students to the next standard (until class 8) even if students have failed their exams or missed school (I was made to do so despite my protests). Students and teachers become complacent about their work. I would not have realised how serious this issue is if I had not witnessed its repercussions first-hand.”
LESSONS LEARNT
“There are so many! Mainly, I learnt the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity. I realised that no matter how many times you fail at something, you have to pick yourself up and try again. If my students did not understand a certain concept, I would try to figure out a different way to explain it to them. I knew that their lives, their education, their future rested in my hands. That was a huge responsibility and no matter how many times I faltered, I was determined to push through. I don’t think I had that sort of grit before I joined TFI.”
CAREER MOVES
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2015-Ausgabe von Verve.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2015-Ausgabe von Verve.
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Making Amends
This generation’s penchant for thoughtless consumption gets Madhu Jain roiled up, and she wonders if nature is getting its own back for our missteps…
Diamonds With Provenance
In keeping with the company’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility, Anisa Kamadoli Costa, chief sustainability officer at Tiffany & Co. and chairman and president at The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, enlightens Shirin Mehta on the efforts that make the jewellery giant an industry leader in transparency
SARTORIAL ECONOMICS
Sisters Tashi and Tara Mitra demonstrate to Akanksha Pandey how deviating from the mainstream can bend the way we think, live and dress
NOTES TO SELF
An anthropomorphized tiger’s perspective, a viscerally worded futuristic interpretation of loss, a critique of performative activism, a meta reflection on the earth’s crises. Told through different lenses, Janaki Lenin, Indrapramit Das, Keshava Guha and Roshan Ali’s stories — written exclusively for Verve — attempt to make sense of the fraught reality that we exist in today
The Eternal Optimist
As Generation X and xennials grapple with fully transitioning to conscious living, young millennials and Generation Z are leading the charge to reverse human-caused environmental damage. Sahar Mansoor, founder and CEO of the Bengaluru-based zero-waste social enterprise Bare Necessities, has a simple overarching philosophy: consume less and stay positive. Verve gets deeper into the mindset of the action-oriented earth advocate
Redemption SONGS
Indian music festivals have been demonstrating a refreshing sense of responsibility in terms of their ecological impact. Interacting with stakeholders who strive to make these large-scale events greener, Akhil Sood investigates the reasons behind the improved attitudes of audiences and the increase in corporate support.
earth hour
Crafted using nature’s elements, these dials draw inspiration from the many heterogeneous materials and hues around us.Verve turns its lens onto a mesmerising few
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Children are holding adults accountable for both the grim future they are facing and the toll this is taking on their mental health. Madhumita Bhattacharyya initiates conversations with families of young climate activists and observes the extent to which parenting has changed in the face of catastrophe
NATURAL JUSTICE
Most of us are only just waking up to the urgency of climatic action. When the stakes are so high, what can individual action solve? Mridula Mary Paul, an environmental policy expert, is proof of the tenacity needed to effect systemic change. It’s not glamorous, and the rewards are few and far between, but that doesn’t stop her from aiming big, finds Anandita Bhalerao
Along For The Ride
Navigating Indian streets as a woman is hard enough. But what is it like while riding a bicycle? Bengaluru-based Shreya Dasgupta, a regular cyclist, speaks to five urban women about the pros and cons of this increasingly popular means of transport.
