Kasmin Fernandes

Every November 20th is poignant for the queer community; it is a day for honouring the memory of trans persons who have lost their lives due to violence. Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) today is a reminder that transphobia is very much alive and present in the “woke” new millennium. What is Transgender Day of...

For all the men out there who crib about Women's Day being a big deal, today is your day! November 19 is celebrated every year as International Men's Day. You are the yang to the yin, the purush to the prakriti, the Shiva to Shakti. It's not just women and minorities; men have also...

Diversity and Inclusion. Employee engagement and satisfaction. LGBT allyship and tolerance. Social transformation and sustainable development. Wipro CSR comes out tops on all the beats that matter. In our ed#LetstalkCSR series, The CSR Journal explores the corporate social responsibility strategy and flagship programmes of the global IT, consulting and biz process services corporation which...

The CSR Committee is to corporate social responsibility what a ministry is to government. It bestows transparency, structure and direction to welfare initiatives. In its absence, there would be no internal mechanism for scrutiny. Compliance would be a matter of debate. There is a certain gravitas that the members lend. They ensure that the guidelines...

This will be the first Diwali in 100 years that will be celebrated during a raging pandemic. You and I may be safely ensconced at home with a box of sweets. However, for certain sections of society – senior citizens, families of migrants, those battling mental illness, ones lost their livelihood and others who...

If there is one upside to the reverse migration towards villages during the pandemic, it's the focus on rural employment. Both the government and the private sector are prioritising economic growth in the villages. While companies are moving their plants and manufacturing units out of the metros, the government seems to be propping up...

Light sources are the most important part of the decorations since Diwali is the festival of lights, after all. What is Diwali without lanterns and diyas adorning each corner of the house? Rather than shopping for these items in stores, why not be Local for Diwali and empower people with special needs at the...

Diwali shopping is at its peak. Online portals are competing for your attention. Malls have reopened with sales of the century. Fashion designers are rolling out the red carpet now that they are back in business. However, we recommend going local for your 2020 festive shopping. Patronise small businesses selling handmade clothes, which are...

The year 2020 has been unkind to people across classes and countries, but the minority that has probably suffered the most in India is the transgender community. From the loss of livelihoods to blatant misrepresentation in the Transgender Persons Act, 2019, trans people suffered one setback after another. One more is threatening to rear...

Teenagers navigate a different landscape today than any of the generations before them. Your parents and you faced sets of challenges that varied from each other all those decades ago. What makes the current generation's adolescence unique is the omnipresence of social media and the internet. Granted, we had the internet growing up, but it...

The unprecedented situations arising from COVID-19 require a new roadmap for recovery. The economy of India – and most of the world, for that matter – is in shambles. While businesses work towards regenerating the economy, corporate social responsibility and development initiatives have to rethink how they will uplift the most vulnerable sections of...

US Election 2020 is drawing to a nail-biting finish. American President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden are neck-to-neck after rancorous campaigning in the midst of a pandemic. Trump has been a climate change skeptic and went easy on mandates for corporate citizenship. What will happen to the global CSR landscape if...