On International Womenâs Day March 8, Hope B-Lit, a Southern California-based nonprofit organization that highlights social issues through short films, released a short film, âE-Rickshawali 2021,â which tells the incredible journey of Kiran Wati, a 21-year-old e-rickshaw driver who transforms into a boy during the day to rough it out on the streets of Delhi.
Written and directed by Indian American director-producer Ruhi, aka Rohini Hak â also the founder of Hope B-Lit â and executive produced by Archita Mandal, the short film is an uplifting tale inspired by the sheer grit and ingenuity of a young Indian womanâs determination to support her family and make a life for herself.
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Koderma, Giridih (Jharkhand):Â Earlier this month, when the National Commission For Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) began probing a complaint against cosmetics brand âFenty Beautyâ, owned by pop star Rihanna, for allegedly using mica from mines in Jharkhand that use child labour, it shone the spotlight on a dark, illegal but thriving business in two remote districts of eastern India.Â
Mica, the shimmery, translucent mineral, is used in cosmetics and automobile paint among other sectors.
The illegal trade of scrap mica has been an open secret in Jharkhand since 1980, when mica mining was banned by environmental laws. A global appetite for the mineral and its abundance in mica-rich districts, however, has kept the practice going unregulated.Â