Meet Kyra, Naina and Zara, the new AI influencers who even get hit on
Whether it’s taking part in pageants, chatting up celebs or becoming the face of brands, India’s rising tribe of AI models is disrupting the influencer industry
CULTURE & COMMUNITY
Meet the city samaritans bringing dignity in death to unclaimed bodies
In a city that never sleeps, some folks are often alone and forgotten, even in death but her last moments are also a reminder of the few good folks in the city, who have devoted themselves to ensuring that those who die alone or unclaimed receive a dignified funeral, at their own cost, despite knowing nothing about them until that moment.
Gen Z teens ‘coming out’ younger with stronger family & peer support
For many queer individuals in India, the social pressure of ‘coming out’ — a metaphor used by LGBTQ+ persons to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to friends and family — is already daunting. But teenagers opening up to parents is a growing phenomenon of adolescents bravely owning their identities as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender while still a middle grader. What is remarkable is how families and schools are stepping up to guide them through this phase and find acceptance in ways that were once unthinkable.
Is stethoscope losing its pulse or docs their ear for the beat?
For over 200 years doctors have leaned on this trusty medical tool to poke, prod, listen and draw accurate inferences about what ails the patient. Until technology changed it. With echocardiograms and nifty pocket-sized ultrasound devices elbowing their way into the diagnostic arena, a recent conference on AI and healthcare at Bombay Hospital in Marine Lines, became the stage for doctors to deliberate the fate of this iconic medical relic—the stethoscope and whether the revered art of “auscultation”— the act of detecting maladies from listening to sounds from the heart, lungs or other organs—might actually follow the path of the doctor’s head mirror and fade away.
Politicians' vocal cords suffer silently as poll campaign picks up
As we brace for the impending political showdown with candidates giving it their vocal all, spare a thought for the unsung hero — the voice box — that often bears the brunt of their campaign rhetoric.
Groom riding on a horse? That’s so yesterday. Car-copters latest craze in UP, Bihar shaadis
Jugaad choppers fashioned out of humble hatchbacks have become a flourishing business, thanks to dulhas who want to make a grand entry
Can’t beat it? Embrace it: Classrooms in Mumbai transform AI into ally
When ChatGPT strutted into our lives in 2022, educators got a bit jittery. The worry was that this shiny new AI marvel might lead to more plagiarised content, mess with learning, and make old-school assignments obsolete. Yet, most schools and colleges now reckon it’s too late to shoo away this uninvited guest. Instead, they are opting to groom students on how to use AI tools as a learning aid and work alongside it, responsibly.
IPL-Style Condo Leagues: Livestreaming, Snazzy Jerseys, and Big Sponsors in Mumbai
Blurring the lines between leisure and high-stakes competition, premier league-style cricket tournaments at condominiums have become a rage across the city over the last two years, inspired by the 15-year-old short and entertaining cricketing format spurred by both local enthusiasm and larger trends in sports entertainment.
Breaking Barriers: Female Blues Musicians Challenge the Status Quo
It’s a curious time for female musicians. This year’s Grammys saw singer-songwriters like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Miley Cyrus soar, legends like Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell reclaim their spotlight and four out of five contemporary blues nominees led by women. Yet, the shadow of old sexism lingers. “Women still continue to fight harder than guys for airtime and stage presence… the real turning point is yet to come,” echoed the stars of the all-female lineup at this year’s edition of the Mahindra Blues Festival — Sheryl Youngblood, Dana Fuchs, Samantha Fish and Vanessa Collier in a candid chat with TOI...
Street aesthetics go pedestrian as city suffers an art attack
In the good old days, a stately king on horseback cast in bronze or a charming fountain sculpted in marble could effortlessly glam up a street or roundabout in Mumbai, and stand as timeless landmarks. Then came the era of edgy street art on the faces of walls and buildings, pushing artistry and its meaning. However, the city is now witnessing a new wave of public art — random sculptures in cement, plaster of Paris and cheap metal ranging from wildly eclectic to downright dull and dreary — popping up across the city that have left people scratching their heads.
Decoding the high-stakes arrival of global masterpieces in India | India News - Times of India
India has swung open its doors to the world’s most prized treasures from museums worldwide. But getting fragile, valuable and ancient art from foreign lands to Indian shores is far from just a bubble wrap. It’s a logistical labyrinth where trust is the ultimate currency to secure loans from international museums and galleries while conservators, art handlers, and fine art logistics companies work in tandem to ensure every art piece glides through borders seamlessly.
Filmmakers versus critics: How ‘Animal’ brought out the claws
Unkind reviews are not new, even ‘Sholay’ was skewered. But, are critics harsher now or directors more thin-skinned? A look at how film criticism is changing in the digital age
Why affluent Indians are turning to the grey market for miracle jabs that make kilos disappear
Affluent Indians are turning to the grey market to get their hands on the so-called miracle jabs that make kilos disappear into thin air
Jackfruit murders and 3D chefs: How the restaurant became a stage
Imagine this — you take your seat in a restaurant and a charming French chef pops up on your plate. The thumb-sized chef takes you on a sensory journey while your crockery and cutlery transform into various landscapes, each corresponding to the course about to be served. In the first act, the table blossoms into a summer garden where he plucks fresh vegetables to create a tomato burrata.
Meet city's Banksy: Phantom street artist tackling social ills, wall by wall
Tyler, a guerrilla street artist from Mumbai, has been gaining attention for his thought-provoking and socially scathing art. Dubbed as Mumbai's Banksy, Tyler's works fuse graffiti with stenciling and often address issues such as surveillance, corruption, and communal politics.
Meet the farmers who are raising India’s craft chocolate game
Artisanal bean-to-bar brands such as Manam, Huraco and Soklet are helping forge a connection between consumers and cultivators
Class act: For city teachers, tiding over hate is a matter of faith
A stark reminder of the influence educators wield was the unsettling incident in Muzaffarnagar, where divisiveness breached classroom walls when school teacher Tripta Tyagi made allegedly and instructed her students to slap a Muslim classmate for struggling with multiplication tables. With Teachers’ Day (September 5) approaching, we turn the spotlight on a cohort of educators in Mumbai who are going beyond academic rigours to create more inclusive and empathetic learning spaces.
Dharavi hip-hop school to rear b-boying talent for Olympics
The orderly wooden benches in Shree Ganesh Vidya Mandir's classroom have been nudged aside to make space for a new kind of education. Instead of uniformed kids and the rustle of notebooks, the air is charged with the energy of youngsters in baggy tees and cargos, defying gravity, spinning on their heads and spitting out rhymes to the sound of beatboxers.In that very moment, accompanied by a cracking coconut and the chorus of 'Ganpati Bappa Morya,' a school is born-the 'Hip Hop Paathshala'
Sandwiches go gourmet, and it may be the best thing that happened to sliced bread
Lights, camera, sandwiches ! Move over, avant-garde entrees and main courses, there’s a new star in town and it comes neatly wrapped in two slices of bread. Defying all fads, the humble sandwich — that continues to grace school, college and office cafeterias in all its chutney, cheese and chicken modesty — has stealthily risen from the shadows to claim its place as the latest breakout star on the culinary red carpet.
Tote bags, T-shirts & trinkets: Queer-run businesses move beyond rainbow cliches
As June rolls in, so does an influx of rainbow-themed goodies everywhere. While the queer community could do with visible support, it is also the first to remind you that Pride Month isn't just about the all-colour spectrum. A new wave of queer entrepreneurs are trying to redefine rainbow capitalism with ventures that reflect their identities beyond rainbow cliches.Last weekend a two-day showcase at BKC called 'Queer Made' amplified businesses and products owned and created by India's queer community.
How Pakistan uses 'honeytraps' to gain sensitive info
The latest DRDO case shows how the game has changed. Instead of seductive temptresses in shady hotel rooms, traps are laid through social media
Why Indian screenwriters are watching Hollywood writers strike
While streaming has changed the way we consume content, screenwriters say some things haven’t changed — their compensation, lack of credits or the lopsided contracts. A battle is raging in America’s Tinseltown. For the first time in 15 years, the Writers Guild of America (WGA ) launched an industry-wide strike demanding fair pay and benefits rather than being treated like gig workers. In a spillover effect, writers guilds across the world united to fight back, including India’s Screenwriters Association.
Can India’s grandest cultural centre become its finest?
Amid the grey, glassand-steel skyscrapers of Mumbai’s BKC, there is now a jolt of colour. The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre ( NMACC ), an arts and culture hub that opened last month, is a kaleidoscope of buildings with three overarching gold leaves and a lotus motif running through it. Just as its building has injected colour into the sterile landscape many hope Mumbai’s newest cultural playground will spark a new sense and standard of patronage for the arts.
Where some of India's most sexually adventurous people meet
Tired of living with shame and stigma, members of India’s growing kinkster community say they no longer want to live in the shadows
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