Ekta Chauhan on urban inequality: The tale of Delhi's unauthorised farmhouses

The Delhi government declared Sainik Farm an unauthorised colony in 1993.   (hindustan times archive)
The Delhi government declared Sainik Farm an unauthorised colony in 1993. (hindustan times archive)
Summary

'Sheher Mein Gaon' reveals how green is the colour of money in Delhi, exploring the profound class divide between Sainik Farm and Sangam Vihar

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘farmhouse’ as ‘a house attached to a farm, especially the main house in which the farmer lives’. In Delhi, however, the term has taken on a dramatically different meaning. Today, ‘farmhouses’ refer to sprawling luxury estates owned by the city’s affluent elite. Located in areas like Sainik Farm, Chhatarpur, Sultanpur and Mehrauli, these properties are far removed from agriculture and instead symbolize status, exclusivity and opulence.

As the city expanded in the 1950s, rural and forested areas in south Delhi became attractive for their proximity to the city centre. One such area that saw rapid development was next to Deoli village: Sainik Farm. In 1961, the Delhi Sainik Cooperative House Building Society introduced a scheme to allot subsidized land for defence personnel (hence the name ‘sainik’). Land was allotted through the 1970s and 1980s to veterans of the 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars to ‘relieve them from mental agony’ and aid in their rehabilitation.

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The headset that ‘talks to your brain’: Can India’s new wearables cure anxiety and depression?

Illustration by Tarun Kumar Sahu/Mint
Illustration by Tarun Kumar Sahu/Mint
Summary

There are 200 million Indians suffering from depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other mental health issues. Therapy and medication are expensive. A few startups are now trying to address the gap through wearable devices. But there’s limited data or evidence as to their efficacy.

It’s a quiet Tuesday evening inside the Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters cafe in Koramangala, Bengaluru. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee hangs in the air as I’m handed a device that looks fairly simple, black in colour and something between a headband and a headset, except it doesn’t cover the ears. There are no flashy screens, no blinking lights, no music to play. It isn’t built to count your steps or track your sleep. Instead, it goes a step ahead and is aimed at speaking to your brain.

“This might feel like a slight tingling," says Jai Sharma, co-founder of Mave Health, a Bengaluru-based mental wellness startup, as he connects the headset to an app on his phone. He taps a button on his phone. A few seconds later, I feel it, a faint, rhythmic pulse against my forehead, subtle enough to ignore but impossible not to notice. It’s called neurostimulation, and it promises to do what few wearables have dared to attempt: calm the mind, ease stress, sharpen focus and, in some cases, assist in treating conditions such as depression, anxiety, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or addiction.

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Vaccines, antibiotics, and anti-cancer drugs may soon carry QR codes—here’s why

The move is vital for a country that is the largest global supplier of generic drugs, accounting for 20% of the world's supply by volume, and whose pharma market is projected to swell from its current $50 billion to $130 billion by 2030. (Reuters
The move is vital for a country that is the largest global supplier of generic drugs, accounting for 20% of the world's supply by volume, and whose pharma market is projected to swell from its current $50 billion to $130 billion by 2030. (Reuters
Summary

As part of the plan, the government has proposed making product-level traceability mandatory for four critical drug categories via QR codes. The aim is to secure the pharmaceutical supply chain and protect patients from counterfeit and substandard medicines.

New Delhi: India is set to tighten rules on the sale and distribution of four crucial life-saving medicine categories—vaccines, antimicrobials, narcotic and psychotropic drugs, and anti-cancer drugs—to safeguard public health, according to two government officials aware of the matter and documents reviewed by Mint.

As part of the plan, the government has proposed a major overhaul aimed at securing the pharmaceutical supply chain and protecting patients from counterfeit and substandard medicines.

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