What to read after My City Links?

In A Distant Land, Apprehensions About The Future Of Their Homeland

The past few weeks saw an unraveling in Afghanistan that was as striking for the speed at which it took place as the overnight transformation in the mood of the people of the war-torn country. The emotions captured among Afghans within the country and other parts of the world have ranged from anger to fear to despair as the Taliban entrenched themselves.

In our Cover Story, we catch up with some Afghan nationals who came to Bhubaneswar for higher studies to secure a better future for themselves and their families. They have watched the happenings unfold from a distance, but the impact has been devastating. As one of the students, Ehsanullah puts it, they don’t know what the future holds. But they still dare to dream.

In CityZen, we feature Madhusmita Nayak and her inspiring story as she goes about breaking the proverbial glass ceiling. She talks about her days as a student and the support from her parents that saw her move to the UAE for what would eventually become an inspiring career.

The column also profiles Odia-origin boy Krish, who is playing one of the lead roles in the BBC series Silverpoint. Fond of acting since his school days, he impressed his teachers enough for them to suggest that he take up professional acting. Krish and his mother open up about his journey so far.

Often, one’s passion can be poles apart from their chosen profession. Perhaps nobody exemplifies this better than Manas Ranjan Samal. An officer of the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS), Samal is passionate about philately, or collecting stamps. Twenty-one years after he chose this hobby, he is still going strong.He is our third CityZen for this edition.

Amidst all the restrictions it brought upon us, one positive habit that Covid reinforced is that of reading. In a special feature, we speak to a few book enthusiasts on how reading helped the ride over what has been one of the most challenging periods in recent history.

One of the joys of driving across India is discovering the colourful messages and slogans that adorn trucks. A home away from home for those who drive these heavy vehicles, these. have been described as moving works of art.

Breastfeeding is important for the good health of mothers as well as new borns but it is an area that is also surrounded by misinformation. We bust some common myths through a Q&A article in our Health section