Latest news with #Bharati
Time of India
03-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Good Glamm delays paying salaries again amid cash crunch
Live Events Beauty products and content company Good Glamm Group , which is grappling with a cash crunch and seeking to raise capital at a significantly marked-down valuation, has delayed employee salaries for the second consecutive month, people familiar with the matter told company had earlier informed employees that their April pay would be disbursed along with the salary for May in June. However, as of June 3, salaries have not been credited, and there has been no communication so far from the management on the full and final settlements for former employees have also not been cleared, leaving both current and ex-staff under significant financial strain. 'April and May salaries were supposed to come together, but that doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon. At this point, it's obvious to everyone that it's because of funding. Good Glamm Group was under the impression that funding would arrive in January, and it has been delayed since then,' an employee told ET on condition of Bharati, who worked as a freelance copywriter for Good Glamm's portfolio brand The Moms Co in March and April, took to LinkedIn to share screenshots alleging she is yet to receive her full payment of Rs 18,100. 'They are waiting for investor funding to clear dues. It just shows how bad things are. Every time I emailed someone, they had already left the company—even my point of contact,' she told Mumbai-based company has been selling or exploring the sale of several portfolio brands in a bid to maintain liquidity and keep operations running during this turbulent to one person aware of the developments, Good Glamm is evaluating the sale of its stake in personal care brand Organic Harvest back to the brand's founders. However, the company continues to struggle meeting uncertainty has also triggered a wave of employee exits. The latest high-profile departure came when Kartik Rao, the group's former chief people officer and a board member at WYN Beauty (a joint venture with Serena Williams), left to join AI-driven recruitment platform Vahan. ai Good Glamm declined to comment on ET's part of its cost-cutting measures, the company shut down its Vasant Kunj office in New Delhi earlier this year. Operations temporarily moved to a location in Greater Kailash, but employees are now working remotely, one staffer April 11, ET reported that the company is in advanced talks to sell its media and influencer talent management arm, MissMalini Entertainment, to marketing agency February, Good Glamm sold feminine hygiene brand Sirona back to its original founders for around Rs 150 crore—well below the Rs 450 crore it had paid to acquire the brand. It also offloaded digital media subsidiary ScoopWhoop to Bengaluru-based meme marketing agency WLDD at a valuation of Rs 18–20 crore, a fraction of the Rs 100 crore it paid in company has also explored selling stakes in other assets, including personal care brand The Moms Co and content platform January 29, representatives from investment firms Accel, Prosus Ventures, and Bessemer Venture Partners resigned from the company's board In March 2024, Good Glamm raised $30 million in a flat round from existing investors, including Warburg Pincus, Prosus Ventures, Bessemer, and Accel. The funding was intended to support working capital needs and bridge a larger round that is yet to Glamm was formed in 2021 through the merger of Darpan Sanghvi's MyGlamm, Priyanka Gill's POPxo, and Naiyya Saggi's the past year, the company has witnessed a string of high-profile exits. In May 2024, Sukhleen Aneja, the chief executive of The Good Brands (Good Glamm's D2C vertical), left to join beauty and fashion retailer Nykaa. Gill became a venture partner at Kalaari Capital before launching her own lab-grown diamond brand, Coluxe, while Saggi is starting a new consumer electronics venture.
New Indian Express
25-05-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
At Paribartan, boys give up on addiction, get back to classrooms once again
CUTTACK: Earlier this year, when a group of 35 minor boys were brought to Paribartan, the state's first free adolescent de-addiction and rehabilitation centre at Choudwar, little did they realise the state they were in. Addicted to cheaply available drugs and alcohol, the boys had quit studies and chose to spend time outside their schools, indulging in anti-social activities. Today though, they are busy making up for the lost classes after being admitted to Janmenjaya Government UP School and Kalinga Public High School in Choudwar. Their de-addiction journey wasn't an easy one but the volunteers at Paribartan helped them navigate the phase and chose a better life. The de-addiction centre was opened in 2022 and runs from the premises of a voluntary organisation, Udhaar Foundation. 'Cases of drug addiction among minor boys are rampant today. These minor boys were a cause of concern for not just their parents but also the police and district administration,' said chairperson of the centre Bharati Das. The centre offers free de-addiction and rehabilitation to adolescents. There are 68 minor boys in the centre under treatment now who have been rescued from various slums, bus stands and railway stations. Apart from being provided treatment by experienced doctors, their counselling is done daily by experienced counsellors, she added. The main objective is to get the minors who have dropped out of school due to drug addiction, go back to the schooling system after de-addiction. Besides, they are encouraged to play games, put through yoga sessions, meditations and spirituality lessons. 'The boarders are currently given drawings, entertainment-based education, dance and music training. Our goal is to provide vocational education to the children after they attain 18 years of age, to make them self-sufficient,' said Bharati. While the de-addiction is being funded by the district administration under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, the centre is being run with the help of donations by some Good Samaritans in the absence of any assistance from the Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities department.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
How Bharathidasan Parambarai boxed social evil with verses and created an enduring legacy of tamil poetic heirs
Subramania Bharati inspired millions , but not many of his disciples can claim to have spawned a family of poets who reinforced his literary legacy with such verve. Born in Puducherry on April 29, 1891, Kanaga Subburathinam was a Tamil teacher who, until the age of 30, wrote only devotional poetry. It was his association with popular poet and social reformer C Subramania Bharati that made him move from praising gods to championing the cause of people. Bharathidasan first met poet Bharati, the firebrand nationalist bard, at 17, during a gathering at his physical education teacher Venu Naicker's home in Puducherry. Upon Venu's request, Subburathinam sang a few songs, unaware they were Bharati's compositions. After that interaction, Subburathinam renamed himself Bharathidasan — meaning 'disciple of Bharati', out of reverence for the Mahakavi. "After my meeting with Subramania Bharati, I found a new voice in my language," Bharathidasan later wrote in one of his songs. From that point on, he chose to write poems about social issues instead of religious idols. Over time, he went beyond Bharati in his verses on Tamil identity, society, and culture, which later earned him the title 'Paavendhar' or the king of poetry. At Bharati's request, Bharathidasan wrote 'Engengu kaaninum sakthiyadaa' (Wherever I look, there is power). Bharati not only endorsed it but also sent it to Swadesamitran, where he once worked as an assistant editor. Bharati, while recommending the poem for publication, wrote: "The poem was written by Kanaga Subburathinam of Sri Subramania Bharati Kavitha Mandalam (Sri Subramania Bharati's poetry circle)." That was how Bharati came to see Bharathidasan as his literary heir. In turn, Bharathidasan tried to carry the legacy forward, launching a monthly magazine 'Sri Subramania Bharati Kavitha Mandalam' in 1935 to discover and nurture Bharati's next heirs. But the magazine, published from Puducherry, folded after just six issues. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo While Bharati found only one true successor in Bharathidasan, the latter had 48 literary heirs. How those heirs were identified is a story, says Mu Elangovan, associate professor of Tamil at Kanchi Mamunivar Government Institute for PG Studies and Research in Puducherry. "Bharathidasan was invited to speak at Athangudi in Sivaganga district, a village dominated by the devout Chettiar community," says Elangovan. "He was asked to speak on rationalism and atheism. As the topics didn't sit well with the people of the region, not a single villager showed up." But ten others did. Six were members of the Dravidar Kazhagam (founded by rationalist Periyar) and four were students from Konapattu (now part of Pudukottai district). "Among them was Murugu Subramaniam, a student who went on to launch the magazine 'Ponni' in 1947." Moved by Bharathidasan's speech, Subramaniam was determined to contribute to the development of Tamil. At the time, Bharathidasan was only popular in Dravidar Kazhagam circles. "Ponni was started with the sole aim to popularise Bharathidasan's works," says Elangovan. The magazine ran from 1947 to 1954. Between 1947 and 1949, it started to publish poems of budding poets who followed the style, structure, and content of Bharathidasan. The series was titled ' Bharathidasan Parambarai '. One of the poetic heirs, Suradha, short for Subburathina Dasan, compiled these 48 poems into a book with the same name. By then, Murugu Subramaniam moved to Malaysia, where he was the editor of 'Tamil Nesan', a now-defunct Tamil daily. Elangovan, whose doctoral thesis was on 'Bharathidasan Parambarai', says this literary lineage wasn't confined to those introduced by Ponni. "I found two more categories of descendancy — poets who were introduced by Bharathidasan in his magazine 'Kuyil' and those inspired by the poet's works," he says. The first wave of Bharathidasan Parambarai included prominent personalities such as V C Kulandaisamy, the second Vice-Chancellor of Anna University; politician Nanjil K Manoharan, who served in DMK and AIADMK regimes; and Subbu Arumugam, the villupattu exponent. All 48 poets in this group wrote 'marabu kavithai', a traditional format with a defined set of rules. "Bharathidasan wrote about rationalism, Tamil pride, and communist thought. He also penned lyrics for films," says Senthalai Na Gowthaman, Sulur Paavendar Peravai, a group that popularises the works of Bharathidasan in Coimbatore district. "The literary heirs chose to focus on different themes Bharathidasan touched. For example, poets Mudiyarasan and Perunchithiranar focused on Tamil pride, Tamil Oli wrote about communism, and in films, Kannadasan and Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram reflected Bharathidasan's style." Gowthaman says the lineage didn't end with the 48 poets. "It continues, especially through Tamil cinema." When 'Puthukavithai' (free verse) became popular in the Tamil literary world by breaking the rules and grammar of poetry, 'marabu kavithai' started to lose its sheen. "It was then that some poets in Coimbatore founded 'Vaanampaadi', a poetry circle which brought together new verse and old traditional poetry formats in line with Bharati and Bharathidasan," says Gowthaman. Some of the well-known poets of the 'Vaanampaadi' style include Abdul Rahman, Sirpi, Puviyarasu, Erode Tamilanban, Inquilab, and Kovai Gnani. "Writer Sujatha, through his columns, introduced various grammar and rules of Tamil poetry. He also identified some of the new poets such as Na Muthukumar, who later went on to become a popular lyricist in the Tamil film industry. Today, lyricists such as Arivumathi, Palani Bharathi, and Yuga Bharathi retain Bharathidasan's style, structure, sentiments, and content," says Gowthaman. The Tamil diaspora, says Gowthaman, has been urging the state govt to announce a 'Tamil language day'. "Now, chief minister M K Stalin has announced 'Tamil Week' (between April 29 and May 5) after Bharathidasan's birth anniversary instead of 'Tamil day', which is a good sign for our literary heritage." Email your feedback with name and address to MSID:: 120800031 413 |
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Nurse dies at pvt hosp, kin accuses mgmt of negligence
Bhilwara: A nurse at a private hospital in Bhilwara city died under suspicious circumstances Thursday. The deceased, identified as Bharati (28), was working at Ramsnehi Hospital on Nehru Road, Bhilwara, for the past two years. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to police, Bharati's health deteriorated during duty Wednesday night. The hospital staff admitted her and began treatment. By 1.30am, her condition improved, but when staff checked on her around 4am, she was found to have passed away. The hospital management informed her family by phone. Upon arrival, her family accused the hospital of negligence and started a commotion outside. They, along with community members, demanded Rs 50 lakh in compensation. The protest and discussions lasted for about five hours, concluding with a meeting between the hospital administration and the family in the presence of police and officials. The family agreed to a post-mortem, after which the police handed over the body. During the protest, angry individuals broke the glass at the hospital's main entrance with sticks and even brought dry wood for last rites inside the hospital. The police managed to calm the situation and took the wood away. Present during the incident were probationer IPS Jatin Jain, Bhilwara circle officer (Sadar) Shyam Sundar Bishnoi, circle officer (City) Manish Bardgujar, Bhilwara City MLA Ashok Kothari, along with community, police, and administration members. Bardgujar said that the nursing staffer's health deteriorated suddenly during her night duty, and other nursing staff present administered a drip. She then went to sleep, but in the morning, she was found dead.
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Seeni Viswanathan, the Man Who Archived Bharati's Legacy
As a schoolboy in Trichy, Seeni Viswanathan chanced upon a Kalki Krishnamurthi book on poet Subramania Bharati ( Bharathiyar ) — a moment that altered the course of his life. He went to the bookshop in search of a textbook, but when it was unavailable, he picked up the Kalki book 'Bharati Pirandhar'. This serendipitous choice set him on the path to becoming a devoted admirer of the poet and a lifelong student of his work. The contrast between the fiery nationalist poet and his quiet, meticulous archivist could not be more striking. Bharati was like an active volcano, while Viswanathan was more soft-spoken, mild-mannered, and unassuming. Yet, the grit and determination he showed in clearing the cobwebs of improbable fancies and anachronisms about the poet, and inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the texts of his works, brought the Padma Shri to his door this year. The Prime Minister paid him glowing tributes while releasing in December a 23-volume archival set edited by him, 'Kaala Varisaiyil Bharati Padaippugal' (a chronological edition of Bharati's works). Viswanathan, who authored more than 50 books on Bharati, says he was especially moved by the Prime Minister's comment that each volume contains "commentaries, descriptions, and annotations which will greatly help in understanding Bharati's thoughts in depth and grasping the context of that era". "The recognition I received is unbelievable, especially as I never did anything to secure institutional approval. I consider it to be the blessing of Bharati himself for my work," says the 91-year-old who lives in Chennai. Viswanathan was born in 1934 at Paramathi Velur on the banks of the Cauvery in Namakkal district and has wonderful memories of his father Srinivasan, a revenue department employee who later worked as an estate manager to two zamindars. Growing up in Hosur, Viswanathan remembers his busy father going on horseback to farms. "I had four brothers and three sisters, but when he came home it would always be with presents," says Viswanathan. Ten-year-old Seeni Viswanathan's education was hit by his father's death in 1944 until his maternal aunt from Trichy volunteered to take him under her wing. It was at Trichy's Urumu Dhanalakshmi School that Viswanathan completed his education, having by then a good grounding in Tamil and a strong predilection for the language and its literature. It was also here that he became a lifelong student of Bharati's works. A young Viswanathan was drawn to freedom fighter M P Sivagnanam's 'Thamizharasu Kazhagam' (TK), formed in 1946 as an association (before it became a political party in 1954), which, while championing the Tamil language and autonomy for Tamil Nadu as a state, did not have the abrasive separatist ideology and the anti-brahmin, anti-Hindu gods rhetoric of the Dravidian movement. It was through his association with TK leader Chinna Annamalai that he came to Chennai in 1955 to work as a journalist in his 'Sanga Palagai'. As Chinna Annamalai got involved in agitations spearheaded by TK, he closed the publication, but not before introducing Viswanathan to publishers. Viswanathan worked for a few of them before becoming one himself. His first book on Bharati, 'Thamizhagam Thandha Mahakavi', was an anthology of the reminiscences of eminent personalities such as statesman C Rajagopalachari, poet Bharatidasan, and social reformer P Jeevanandham on the poet. In 1969, Viswanathan brought out an edition of Bharati's poems based on a study of earlier editions and enriched with footnotes on the textual variations in them. This passion for textual and factual accuracy became a hallmark of his editions on Bharati's writings. Viswanathan says his wife Sulochana supported his spartan life of dedicated scholarship and that after her passing in 2012, his son Balaji has taken over the task. Even as his singular focus on collecting earlier editions of Bharati's works and copies of publications to which the poet made journalistic contributions was yielding results, a breakthrough in his research came with his association with the poet's stepbrother C Viswanathan (1896-1984), who established the 'Bharati Prasuralayam' in 1924 to publish the deceased poet's works. "He asked me to come over to Manamadurai to meet him and at our first meeting, we discussed Bharati for eight hours at a stretch," says Viswanathan. He convinced Bharati's octogenarian brother to write the poet's biography, which he set out to do in earnest, but later, handed over all his information to Viswanathan and asked him to execute the task. Today, the biography forms the first of the 23 volumes just released. While constantly searching for primary material connected to Bharati, Viswanathan says he hit the jackpot when he received issues of 'Chakravarthini', a monthly edited by Bharati in 1905-1906 from a librarian. Bharati's birth centenary saw Viswanathan publish a detailed bibliography of Bharati's books as well as books on him. He brought such a degree of scholarship to his publications that lyricist-poet Kannadasan called him a "veritable Bharati library". While misrepresentations of facts about Bharati's life were a dime a dozen in printed books, Viswanathan rued the fact that he could not do much about the errors and fabrications in the 2000 film 'Bharati' based on the life of the poet. For example, the film shows Kanakalingam, the harijan who was invested with the sacred thread by Bharati, as conversing with him before his death and as a participant in his funeral. "But this is contrary to facts as Kanakalingam recorded in print that he knew of Bharati's death only later," says Viswanathan. He also found no substance in the film presentation that the French police raided the press in Pondicherry where Bharati's 'India' journal was printed and set fire to the copies of the journal, bringing the publication to a halt. "The British snuffed it out." With such an incisive understanding, the six decades of experience Viswanathan gained in Bharati texts found fruition in his chronological edition of the writer's poetic and prose works, making it the consummation of his archival efforts and bringing him national recognition when he turned 90. "If I have traversed this far in Bharati studies, it is because I always felt his presence," he says. (The writer is a journalist and author)
