SPIRIT OF MUMBAI

Veena Sendre won 2nd Miss Transqueen India 2018, a beauty pageant for transgenders at The Lalit Hotel,Mumbai.   19 finalists from Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Kolkata, Karnataka and other states participated to win the coveted Miss Transqueen India 2018 Title. Veena Sendre won the title,Saniya Sood was 1sr runner up and Namitha Ammu was 2nd runner up.  Ashish Sharma TV Actor, Sushant Digvikar Ex Big Boss fame came specially to judge the pageant.  The beauty pageant-Miss Transqueen India is the brainchild of Mrs. Reena Rai. She believes that acceptance and inclusion of the LGBT community can only happen if we start treating them with the respect and dignity they deserve .Having worked closely with the community for some years, I now want to empower them, increase visibility and create employment opportunities, and contribute in building an inclusive society, through this pageant,” said Ms Reena Rai, Founder and Chairperson of Miss Transqueen India....

THE NEED TO BE TOUGH "Girls...your safety is not an option, it’s your right," says 18-year-old Vaamaa Baldota. Unlike other teens who are occupied with college, career, etc... she has a broader mission.  She is keen on training young girls on self-defence. "You will be as safe as you choose to be. Because your safety does not have to depend on chance or luck, but on how alert and prepared you are - at any and every moment," she explains. While informing further on what made her develop a two-hour programme to make girls aware on eve teasing and rape, she explains the news related rape and sexual assaults in our country left her with several questions. It was after returning from UK to her hometown Hospet in Karnataka during her vacation she was left more disturbed hearing the news of her maid’s daughter being molested. Vaamma embarked on a serious task of doing something more than just talking about the issue. She took up an intense 25 hours a week, f...