“We believe that all lives have equal value” - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in India in its philanthropic initiatives is "working to improve the lives of more than a billion people in India by addressing challenges related to health, sanitation, access to financial services, and agricultural development.”
The aim is to reduce inequality and poverty. Presently the focus is on Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
Read more at:

https://www.gatesfoundation.org/where-we-work/india-office

In keeping with the Foundation's encouragement of collaborations it has aligned with The Piramal Foundation in setting up a Tribal Health Collaborative "to tackle health issues in the tribal region of India. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will be one of the foundation’s first partners in this collaboration, which will focus on improving health and nutrition outcomes in high-burden and tribal districts, including aspirational districts." The  "collaborative, which is slated to be launched in early 2020, will help support the government of India as it works towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 by 2030. SDG 3 is focused on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.

Read more at:

https://yourstory.com/socialstory/2019/11/piramal-foundation-bill-melinda-gates-foundation

Magical evening immersed in Nayika Bhed with Saswati Sen, Madhvi Mudgal and Nandini Singh

From Left: Saswati Sen, Madhavi Mudgal, Nandini Singh and Nupur Laul

"Kathak Parisamvad. Nayika Bhed" a discussion on classification & interpretation of Nayikas (heroines) in Indian classical dance, was organized by the Vaasuki Natyashaala at the India Habitat Centre, moderated by Nupur Laul.

Saswati Sen (Kathak), Madhavi Mudgal (Odissi) and Nandini Singh (Kathak) took the audience through a magical journey of poetry and dance demonstrations describing the various Nayikas in Literature. Saswati Sen explained that there were as many as 350 Nayikas, but as the subject was too vast, they pared down this session to describing the Ashta Nayikas (8 heroines). The students in particular imbibed with riveted attention, this valuable knowledge from the stalwarts

Vegetarians - Experience the Meaty Experience with Faux Meat

My die-hard vegetarian Mom, who was a gourmet cook, used to say that जिमीकंद (jimikand) or yam is "meat for the vegetarians". 

Though for someone who had never tasted non-vegetarian food in her entire life, I can only presume she got this gyaan from non-vegetarians.













Popularity of foods made from plant-based sources that taste like meat are on the up rise with converted carnivores. Vegetarians too can savour the flavour, previously taboo for them. These foods not just attempt to emulate the taste of meats but also strive to pack in the protein content. Additionally, some manufacturers are creating these products sans GM foods (genetically modified foods), even though there are varying public views on acceptance of GM foods.

Read about plant-based burgers in The New York Times article

www.nytimes.com › 2019/10/22 › dining › veggie-burger-taste-test

Vogue UK includes Vegan Foods first in “6 Of The Biggest Wellness Trends You’ll Want To Try in 2020”, an article that focuses on the continuing wellness trends from the 2010s into 2020, with the new decade kicking “everything up a notch”. The 2010s “signalled the end of toxic ‘diet culture’ with a new focus on self-care, wellbeing and spirituality (all practiced with the climate crisis and sustainability in mind, too)”

www.vogue.co.uk › beauty › article › wellness-trends-2020