As the world struggles with the COVID 19 pandemic, the Centre for Urban Policy and Governance (CUPG) has begun documenting how communities and groups in Mumbai and its metropolitan region are reaching out to help one another in this time of severe distress. We focus our attention on bottom up practices by speaking with those involved in the frontline and at the grassroots level, through our existing networks and collaborations across the city. These stories are meant to highlight the tremendous courage and creativity with which communities are responding to relief efforts, reaching out to vulnerable groups during the lockdown, advocating for basics such as food and water in informal settlements, and in short, filling in the gaps in service delivery and execution during an unprecedented situation. These stories will be available as easily readable Whatsapp messages, in English and Hindi and will be disseminated via our community networks. These stories will also be carried on the
CUPG Facebook page and on https://theblogurk.wordpress.com/.
Team: Dr. Ratoola Kundu & Volunteer Team comprising UPG Alumni and students and Research Associates of Centre for Urban Policy and Governance (CUPG), SOHS, TISS, Mumbai.
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Title: Lock in time: Attempting to hold COVID-19 at bay through a community led lockdown in Indira Nagar, Govandi
Writer: Adwaita Banerjee, MPhil Student
This is a story based in Indira Nagar Basti in M East ward, where the residents came together to enforce lock down measures at the neighbourhood level by erecting temporary barriers.
Title: From my kitchen to yours: how locals in Mandala are helping the vulnerable and the hungry
Writer: Adwaita Banerjee, MPhil Student
This is a story of the far flung and impoverished Mandala basti in M East ward where the community members came together to organise ways for feeding the more vulnerable daily wage workers who are stranded in the neighbourhood.
Title: Connecting the Disconnected: Story of Despair and Hope in the time of Corona
Writer: Amol J. Bhalerao, PhD student
This is a story about a group of homeless families living in Subhash Nagar, Jogeshwari, next to the train tracks, had to fight a difficult battle helped by a social worker, for their basic right to access water in a safe manner in order to maintain basic hygiene.
Title: Toy Story: Toys, some joy and a little hope in the time of Corona?
Writer: Kedar Nagarajan, Research Associate, TURN Project, CUPG
This is a story of the joy of creative learning practices in the times of Corona – wherein children in the bastis of M East ward are being taught to create toys out of everyday waste material by the Study Centre and M Ward Transformation Project through smartphones
Title: BEST Partnership
Writer: Priyanka Borpujari, Independent Journalist and Rotary Peace Fellow, Tokyo
This is a story of a unique partnership struck between BEST and M Ward Transformation project to procure and distribute sanitary napkins across the city to women in informal settlements and in vulnerable conditions during lock down.
Title: By the people, for the people and of the people: Pisavali’s community kitchen
Writer: Malay Kotal, Research Assistant, TURN Project, CUPG
This is a story about a low income settlement called Pisavali in Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation area, where an auto driver, who lost his own livelihood during the lockdown, organised a community kitchen for the vulnerable daily wage labourers stranded in the settlement.
Title: Breaking Barriers
This is a story about breaking barriers and creating a sense of oneness and belonging during COVID19
Title: Lock in time: Attempting to hold COVID-19 at bay through a community led lockdown in Indira Nagar, Govandi
Writer: Adwaita Banerjee, MPhil Student
This is a story based in Indira Nagar Basti in M East ward, where the residents came together to enforce lock down measures at the neighbourhood level by erecting temporary barriers.
Title: ‘Dharavi ki baat BMC ka sath’: Twitter as a potential medium of social activism
Writer: Malay Kotal , Research Assistant CUPG
A story about social activists turning strategically to digital media, build pressuring
on the local government during the lockdown, and informing and empowering citizens in slums.
Title: Feeding the people: Running community kitchens in M (East) Ward
Author: Adwait Banerjee, MPhil Scholar
This story highlights the trials and tribulations of collectively organizing and operating community kitchens M (East) Ward in Mumbai.
Title: Communities of Care
How medical care has been extended in a community in need.
To get in touch with us, please send an email to - corona-response@tiss.edu
Editorial Team: Amita Bhide, Anjali Monteiro, Janki Andharia
Editorial Support and Newsletter: Anusha Ramanathan
Content Editor: Aparna Srivastava
Content coordinators/contributors: Vijay Raghavan, Aparna Joshi, Nilesh Gawde, Aseem Prakash, Rajni Konanthambigi, Faiz Ullah, Asha Banu Soletti, Ratoola Kundu, Lalitha Kamath, Chetna Duggal, Jacquleen Joseph, Lavanya Arvind, Sabah Khan, Trupti Panchal, staff of M-Ward project, Prayas, Tanda, Koshish, Special cell, and all other interventions/Field Action Projects of TISS
Wireframe and Design Inputs: K.P. Jayasankar`
IT Support: Sivakumar V and staff of TISS Computer Centre
Web Development: Dot Solutions
