True Inspiration

It all began in 1998, when Arunachalam Muruganantham, the son of poor handloom weavers in South India, realized that his wife was using old rags to deal with menstruation because she couldn’t afford sanitary pads. Muruga was shocked. But he also saw a chance to impress her. He decided to produce her sanitary pads himself. At first, it seemed a simple task: he bought a roll of cotton wool and cut it into pieces, the same size as the pads sold in the shops, and then wrapped a thin layer of cotton around it. He presented this homemade prototype pad to his wife and asked her to test it. The feedback she gave him was devastating: his pad was useless and she would rather continue using old rags. 300 million The number of women in India without access to safe menstrual hygiene products INDIA'S MENSTRUATION MAN Where did he go wrong? What was the difference between his sanitary pads and those available at the shop? Muruga started experimenting with different materials, but was faced wit

As the entire country fights corruption and terrorism these days, the efforts of many dedicated female police officers have come to light. Known as the Iron Lady of Assam, Sanjukta Parashar is one such IPS officer who is making headlines for her commendable work and bravery. Sanjukta, who is the first woman to be have been appointed as an IPS officer in Assam, has arrested over 64 militants in the last 15 months and set an example for others. Even while she was in school, Sanjukta was extremely worried about the increasing corruption and terror in Assam; hence, she decided to stay back in her state and work towards these issues despite getting a good rank. She was first sent to Makum, Assam, in 2008, as an Assistant Commandant. However, soon she was transferred to Udalguri in Assam to manage the communal violence between Bodo and illegal Bangladeshi militants. Within 15 months of conducting her operation, she killed nearly 16 militants and arrested 64 of them. Mother of a four-year

We’re living through challenging times. But inherent in nearly all challenges are opportunities for renewal and transformation. The current economic crisis offers the chance to re-evaluate how you live your life, to be more mindful and strategic about how you spend money, and to take stock of your values and priorities. Corporate lay-offs can provide the opportunity to find a more meaningful job, transition into a new career, or pursue the dream of starting your own business. How you respond to crises has a lot to do with the lens through which you habitually perceive the world. If you tend to see the world through a “gloom and doom” lens, you may be reacting to current events with feelings of fear, anxiety, or a sense of despair or powerlessness. And even if you tend to view things through the lens of optimism, you may be reacting to the constant barrage of negative media messages with milder feelings of concern and insecurity. Wherever you may be on this continuum of perception