Dhwani Desai

What do you write about when you have no topic in mind? What do you write about when you have nowhere to start? What happens when a writer runs out of ideas?

A short story about a woman who only wanted to fit in and belong her entire life. As a result of this, she doesn't really know who she is and what she should do next now that she has realised this.

Shilpa Raj’s exhibition of pictures for the Namma Pride and Karnataka Queer Habba highlights the oft ignored contribution of queer people to society
Shilpa Raj’s exhibition of pictures for the Namma Pride and Karnataka Queer Habba highlights the oft ignored contribution of queer people to society
Namma Pride and Karnataka Queer Habba is in its 10th edition, and this year, the festival is focused on being even more inclusive. Special attention has been paid to ensure people from all walks of l...

In India, we are bombarded with movies that ride high on masochism. Even a movie like Fighter (2024), which has a formidable enough female lead in Deepika Padukone, still rides high on hero (not heroine) worship of Hrithik Roshan. So, it comes as a relief that feels almost as good as eagerly-awaited rainfall in this intolerable summer heat when movies like Laapataa Ladies and Kathal come along. Take a bow, Kiran Rao, Aamir Khan, Ektaa Kapoor and Guneet Monga, for giving us these treats: movie...

Losing the green cover in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo Arand forest — which is around four times the size of Bengaluru — will result in unprecedented ecological damage
This summer sure is coming down hard on all city folk, who are used to feeling fairly comfortable even in the warm months. Now, imagine how much worse the situation could get if a forest area in Chhattisgarh, the size of Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi combined, is lost forever. Why must this bother you, residing all the way in South Indi...

An online petition is challenging stereotypical gender roles in Indian cartoons, claiming that it builds a patriarchal mindset
A lot of the talk about gender stereotyping and feminism is centered on adults, but what about kids? When children see girls as weak and meek, and boys as strong, the stereotyping builds a patriarchal mindset, which lasts well into adulthood. Looking to change this is life coach and parent Almas Virani, who has started an online petition to make the character Chutki f...

12 murals across the old Bengaluru suburb reflect everything that it is known for, while calling attention to the changes that need to be made
02:38
Fact: Malleswaram, one of the better planned areas of the city, was designed more than a hundred years ago, after the last pandemic (the great plague of 1898).
The current pandemic has made people reflect on what needs to change in the world. So, recently, 13 artists of the Geechugalu collective planned an ‘art map’ of all things that make this o...

A group of women in the city have started an initiative called Green the Red — they visit offices, NGOs and apartment complexes to spread the word on sustainable methods of menstruation
Of the 160 tonnes of garbage produced in the city each day, around 90 tonnes is sanitary waste, predominantly disposable sanitary napkins and diapers. In a large metropolis like Bengaluru, feminine hygiene still isn’t openly discussed, not even between women. Considering the looming garbage crisis and its seve...

Experts say that the current method of weeding the lake is an expensive practice, which will give little results
After receiving flak from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for its lackadaisical attitude towards the heavily-polluted Bellandur Lake, the Bengaluru Development Authorities (BDA) began work on cleaning it. One of the first steps taken was to remove weeds from the lake, for which harvesters were procured from Mumbai. But, cleaning the heavily-polluted lake is turning out to be a fa...

I thought Animal wouldn’t make an impact at the box office. Because what were Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Ranbir Kapoor thinking? Unfortunately, I was wrong. The world seems to love this trigger-fest
Ranbir Kapoor in Animal
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“What did I just watch?” That was the first thought I had after watching the trailer for Animal. And that was not an appreciative, ‘mind-blown’ expression. I simply couldn’t fathom why someone would make such a movie and why millions of others would watch it. Honestly, I...

Here's more
For children with autism, art is a great way to reduce undesirable behaviours, while keeping them happily engaged in creating works that are unique and self-expressive. An academy in Bengaluru is doing this and taking it a step further by showcasing the artworks of nine of their students at the ongoing Kochi-Muziris Biennale, under Outsider Art. The exhibition that begins today will be on till March 3.
The works of Ayush Bhambhani, Rohit Anand, Adarsh Shetty, Kalash Cariappa, Saks...

... as Government Veterinary Hospital on Queens Road makes way for new multi-storey facility
There was a time when the entire city boasted beautiful heritage structures that housed everything from offices, hospitals and homes. Over time, they have made way for newer structures, and the latest to fall victim to ‘development’ is the Government Veterinary Hospital on . At a cost of `16.5 crore, the BBMP plans to erect a swanky multi-specialty hospital in its place.But the one question that many ...

Losing the green cover in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo Arand forest — which is around four times the size of Bengaluru — will result in unprecedented ecological damage
This summer sure is coming down hard on all city folk, who are used to feeling fairly comfortable even in the warm months. Now, imagine how much worse the situation could get if a forest area in Chhattisgarh, the size of Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi combined, is lost forever. Why must this bother you, residing all the way in South Indi...

Home»Review»Alice, Darling review: Anna Kendrick shines in this film that is uncomfortable and relatable in equal parts
The gripping drama also stars Kaniehtiio Horn, Wunmi Mosaku, and Charlie Carrick
4/5
A still from Alice, Darling
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Story: A young woman trapped in an abusive relationship becomes the unwitting participant in an intervention staged by her two closest friends.
Review: As soon as you meet Alice, you meet her anxiety. Alice is in a relationship with a much older Simon, who i...

…it is not just fun, but liberating
You are often suggested to ‘dance away your worries’, because there is something inherently freeing and soothing about the very act of moving. When the weekend arrives, most of us can’t wait to ‘shake the stress of the week away’, and even just moving to music in your car while you are stuck in a jam can work wonders on your mood. Little wonder, then, that Bengalureans have discovered the power of movement and have integrated it with other art forms, includ...