Hello Reader,
After sealing the Twitter deal, Elon Musk is now planning ahead. The “Chief Twit” declared that he would be forming a new “content moderation council” that will bring together “diverse views” on the issue.
It was a long and winding journey to acquire Twitter. Missed some of the twists and turns? Here’s a refresher.
Meanwhile, the rest of us aren’t having an easy time as inflation is biting hard. Around 54% of adults have either stopped or reduced contributions to retirement savings. Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath has a few suggestions to fund 30 years of retirement.
ICYMI: Ladakh is all set to get a unique Dark Sky Reserve, ensuring little to no light pollution and opening our imagination to the wonders of the universe.
BRB, the Milky Way is calling.
In today’s newsletter, we will talk about
- Hip-hop with a pinch of nostalgia
- Teachmint’s journey to success
- Providing livelihood to trans community
Here’s your trivia for today: Which year is Halley’s Comet expected to return to the solar system?
Art
Hip-hop with a pinch of nostalgia
Boogie Woogie, an art exhibit at Bikaner House in New Delhi, is a homage to hip-hop artists Kendrick Lamar, the late Mac Miller, and designer Virgil Abloh.
“My art is open to interpretation. I want to keep it as simple as possible. You won’t need a manual to understand my art. My process is my journey,” says Sumit Roy, a multimedia artist, communication designer, and rapper.
Drawing from nostalgia:
- This exhibit is also a sociopolitical commentary as it borrows from political and societal sub-contexts, and interweaves them with popular culture.
- There are also sculptures of animated characters from television shows of our childhood, subverted to comment on social behaviours.
- Some sculptures and installations are inspired by TV characters, mythical creatures, and internet memes.
The Turning Point
Teachmint’s journey to success
With physical educational institutions shut during the lockdowns, educators found it difficult to continue teaching. Teachmint bridged the gap with a free SaaS-based, mobile-first education infrastructure platform.
Two years later, it is now available in 20 Indian and international languages.
Plugging a gap:
- The Teachmint app allows teachers to take live classes, create and grade assignments, and share notes.
- By creating a mobile-first product that was low-bandwidth optimised, the startup was able to expand its presence in more than 5,000 cities and towns.
- It has reached over 30 Southeast and West Asian countries, impacting 1.5 crore teachers and students.
Inspiration
Providing livelihood to trans community
As a transgender woman living in Mumbai, Priya Babu had to resort to begging, sex work, and dancing in bars to earn a living.
She is now an activist working to uplift the trans community through various initiatives like the Transgender Resource Centre, Trans Kitchen, and more.
Dignified living:
- Priya successfully runs the Trans Kitchen in Madurai, where she employs nearly 10 other trans people.
- The hotel sells food at a nominal price and offers multiple relief activities, including providing food to patients in the transgender ward at the Madurai General Hospital.
- In 2017, she opened India’s first-ever Transgender Resource Centre as a knowledge and support centre for the community.
News & updates
- Musk’s choice: Twitter users could in future choose a version of the social media platform they like by providing ratings on their tweets.
- Rays of joy: A NASA satellite captured an image of what appeared to be a happy face pattern on the sun earlier this week, prompting the US space agency to say the sun was seen “smiling”.
- A journey to remember: A Swiss railway company claimed the record for the world’s longest passenger train Saturday with a trip through the Alps. The Rhaetian Railway company ran the 1.9-kilometer-long (1.2-mile-long) train composed of 100 coaches from Preda to Berguen.
Which year is Halley’s Comet expected to return to the solar system?
Answer: 2061. Halley was last seen in Earth’s skies in 1986 and was met in space by an international fleet of spacecraft. It will return in 2061 on its regular 76-year journey around the Sun. Nasa has set a timer for its return.
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