Over the next 5 days Paperclip will look back at 50 stories of courage & inspiration from the subcontinent in 2021. We will publish 10 stories each day, in no particular order of ranking as we feel all these stories are equally powerful. Follow #Paperclip50
Sky is not the limit: Andhra Pradesh girl Jahnavi Dengeti became the first Indian to be a part of @NASA's International Space Program. bit.ly/3Ie7FEn#Paperclip50
Protector: ASHA health worked Suman Dhebe walked over 10 Kms everyday during the #secondwave to successfully protect 5 tribal villages around Pune from #COVID contamination #Paperclip50 bit.ly/3Kfowsp
*worker*
Saviour: @IASRajBharud, a visionary doctor turned district collector, installed oxygen plants to save a small tribal district in Maharashtra from #COVID during the 2nd wave bit.ly/3IekqPs#Paperclip50
Never Forget: @tusharlall02 composed a poignant musical piece as a heartfelt tribute to Asifa, the 8 year old victim of communal sexual violence in Kathua #Paperclip50
Ambulance on auto: Karnataka auto driver BV Prashanth Kumar ferried emergency patients for free without caring for his life after his mother tested positive bit.ly/3KkkL4Q#Paperclip50
Gritty Lady: Annie Siva became a Sub-Inspector fighting all odds having been abandoned by her husband and family at a young age bit.ly/3tGDnpN#Paperclip50
Fighting in exile: Women members of parliament from Afghanistan escape the Taliban to form a government in exile bit.ly/33lkYUV#Paperclip50
Cottage Industry: Women in drought hit Andhra village help sustain their families making bags, pickles and masks bit.ly/3fGmrr7#Paperclip50
Big Short Story: Sri Lankan author @KanyaDalmeida wins the 2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize with a curious tale of care giving and abandonement bit.ly/3FErcfm#Paperclip50
Together we can: Civilians, Celebrities, Volunteers join hands to fight the deadly Covid second wave. Together they all made a difference #Paperclip50
Art of writing: Young women calligraphy artists in Kashmir revive a lost art in the midst of the pandemic and internet shutdowns bit.ly/3A8iogR#Paperclip50
All that glitters: Indian olympians and paralympians gift the country a bagful of medals from Tokyo bit.ly/3rVGJTB#Paperclip50
United against hate: @imVkohli and @Neeraj_chopra1 stood up for fellow players Mohammad Shami and Arshad Nadeem in the face of online tirade and abuse based on their religion and nationality #Paperclip50
Rainbow spirit: Telengana gay couple Supriyo Chakraborty and Abhay Dang exchange marriage vows surrounded by friends and family bit.ly/33JVpg6#Paperclip50
Resilience: Unfazed by floods in Rapti, 15-year-old Sandhya Sahani rows boat in flood water to reach school daily in Gorakhpur bit.ly/3nBPdxI#Paperclip50
Indomitable: Couple from Delhi fighting cancer transported 200 dead bodies and 400 patients in their ambulance during #COVID 2nd wave bit.ly/3qBuJXB#Paperclip50
Reunited at last: Fucha Mahli, 70, was finally reunited with his family in Jharkhand after working as a bonded labour in the Andaman for 35 years bit.ly/3GI7Ffq#Paperclip50
Winning smile: They say your smile is a reflection of your soul. Sudha Bharadwaj shows exactly that on her way home after getting bail bit.ly/3nxvkHR#Paperclip50
Truth: Extensive ground reporting on gang rape of Dalit girl in Delhi by Dalit journalist @KotwalMeena caught our eye as the hard hitting and brave journalism the nation needs bit.ly/329zO05#Paperclip50
Empowering: Historic moment for Chhattisgarh as 13 transgenders recruited as police constables in 4 distrcts bit.ly/3GEKvXz#Paperclip50
Everyone is welcome: India's first transgender run salon, La Beaute & Style, creates history bit.ly/3I8Vo42#Paperclip50
No place for hate: Fearless Kerala nuns dissent against priest's alleged hate speech against Muslims in the church bit.ly/3A6QRME#Paperclip50
Leading lady: First female Chief Minister of Nepal, Astalaxmi Sakya, is in a league of her own bit.ly/3Klbjhv#Paperclip50
Wings to fly: Roya Mehboob, the New York and Kabul based techpreneur spent frantic hours making calls across the globe to get the all girl Afghan robotics team on a plane to Doha as the Taliban take control bit.ly/3rrEkj3#Paperclip50
Spreading joy: Namgay Tshering, a Bhutanese politician, spreads joy by giving toys bit.ly/328ORqR#Paperclip50
Health for free: Papinder Singh, a native of Husnar in Punjab, runs a free wheatgrass juice langar for all ages after his cancer stricken mother benefitted from the drink bit.ly/3FJWpOE#Paperclip50
Women at the forefront: First female police station in Quetta gives hope to women as they become first responders crushing cultural and bureaucratic barriers bit.ly/32bwstu#Paperclip50
Defeating COVID: Bhutan displays COVID commitment by vaccinating 93% of its adult population by July 2021, recording only 3 deaths bit.ly/3rtX29D#Paperclip50
Reaching higher: Dawa Yangzum Sherpa becomes the first female mountain guide from Nepal and also breaks the speed record on the way to the Manaslu summit bit.ly/3Ag2tNx#Paperclip50
Provide and protect: Senior IPS officer Shrikant Jadhav and his team not only chase dreaded criminals but also provide food and shelter to the needy bit.ly/327ingv#Paperclip50
Demand: Barred from work, Wahida Amiri, a 31 year old Law graduate in Kabul, takes the streets amidst guns and bombs asking for her basic rights bbc.in/33NmEX7#Paperclip50
The fourth pillar: @DainikBhaskar, the country's largest circulated daily, does relentless ground reporting durng the 2nd wave to bring the truth to us bit.ly/3rs10Qn#Paperclip50
Smashing barriers: Tashnuva Anan Shishir goes live on March 8th from a private news channel in #Bangladesh to become the first transgender anchor of the nation bit.ly/3qCJ6ew#Paperclip50
Removing stigma: A 16 year old from Kolkata battles circumstances, local resistance to help her mother recover from COVID and leads in spreading awareness bit.ly/3qA3wVs#Paperclip50
Mother nature: A group of women fight to protect the Sundarbans from the effect of cyclones bit.ly/33JRuzC#Paperclip50
Feeding the weak: Zoeb Bhutia, an entrepreneur from Gangtok, helps feed the ailing during the pandemic bit.ly/3fPKEM5#Paperclip50
Keep the faith: Residents of Lakhimpur district of Bangladesh across religion come together to protect Durga puja pandals and temples after Comilla violence bit.ly/3AaHuLS#Paperclip50
Matching frequency: HAM radio operators in Bengal reunite woman in Bakkhali with her family in Jharkhand after 37 years bit.ly/3Kn84WU#Paperclip50
Changing uniform: Assam police officer dons the white coat during the pandemic running the local COVID care centre bit.ly/3qLpPaV#Paperclip50
Vaccinate all: Health care officials take the boat and truck to vaccinate people in the remote Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh bit.ly/3A8E6kM#Paperclip50
Big Cat and Thunder Dragon: The UNEP is working closely with the Bhutan government to revive the nation's tiger count amidst constant struggle between man and wild bit.ly/3qASO0K#Paperclip50
Nick of time: Men in green come to the rescue of more than a thousand tourists stuck near the Indo-China border at Nathu La due to snowfall bit.ly/3Ij1Y8l
Cleaning the mess: Everester Jamling Tenzing Norgay and his team of sherpas clean up the Everest trail bit.ly/3qGN59P#Paperclip50
As the recent student protests in Bangladesh face brutal crackdowns by Sheikh Hasina's government, resulting in hundreds of tragic deaths and injuries, it’s worth remembering the influential role of one university in shaping the country’s history. 1/19 🇧🇩
The Dhaka University, founded in 1921, has not just been a place of learning but a crucible of revolution. Through its halls, courtyards, classrooms, generations of students have rallied for change, making the university a symbol of national pride & revolutionary spirit. 2/19
"In my opinion, this university is Dhaka's greatest treasure and will do more than anything else to elevate and spread Dhaka's renown beyond the borders of Bengal, and even beyond India itself," Lord Lytton declared during the first convocation of the university. 3/19
Recently, Lord Jagannath has found a new place in the country's political spectrum. This Rath Yatra, let us share the fascinating tale of how Jagannath unites people of different religions. 1/11
Every year, when the Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannath of Puri rolls out, a strange ritual happens when the divine chariot passes through the Bada Danda (Grand Road). The procession comes to a halt for about a minute in front of a mazaar (Muslim shrine) 2/11
To know about the origin of this strange tale, we need to travel 500 years back in time, to the reign of the 4th Mughal emperor, Nur-ud-din Jahangir. In 1607, the emperor appointed Jahangir Quli Khan, a.k.a. Lalbeg as subedar of Bengal 3/11
A small township near Toronto, Canada, a small town near Lahore, Pakistan, and a township near modern-day Kolkata are connected through a fine thread stitched together by some Bohemian shoemakers, let us explain. 1/20
Now what would a town near Toronto and a place near Kolkata have in common? To get to the answer we have to travel back in time to the late 19th century to the Bohemian region of Moravia in the modern day Czech Republic. 2/20
In the small town of Zlin on September 21, 1894, The T. & A. Baťa Shoe Company was established by Baťa siblings Tomáš, Anna, and Antonín Baťa. The siblings were among eight generations of the Bata family shoemakers and master cobblers. 3/20
Imagine the beaches of Dunkirk. While the allied forces await evacuation, amidst the bullets and bombs, soldiers dig into their ration – for some, it could be the last meal they will ever have. What do they find there? A pack of Britannia biscuits! Intrigued? Do read on. 1/20
While Churchill mentioned the efforts put in by the allied forces, what is often overlooked is the contribution of Indian soldiers who were also a part of the evacuated forces – a story for another time perhaps. For now, we are interested in little packets of biscuits. 2/20
Packets that the soldiers may have been carrying during those turbulent times in their backpacks on the beaches for Dunkirk, made by a company whose name resonates with each of us. So where does this story begin? 3/20
Did you know that Bollywood films were once so famous in the African nation of Nigeria that it is said to have inspired a new genre of literature in the country? 1/21
If you ever find yourself in Kano, Northern Nigeria’s biggest city and home to the Hausa people, don't be surprised to find posters of Amitabh Bachchan or Sridevi pasted on taxis and shops and Bollywood songs playing on loop on the radio Channels. 2/21
But it's not the only way the Hausa people profess their love for Bollywood. In the 1980s a new kind of literature started to take shape at the heart of Kano, known as the Kano Market Literature. These pulp novels were heavily influenced by Hindi films in all their glory. 3/21
Is she walking like an elephant or a swan? Aditi Rao Hyderi's graceful dance sequence in the Netflix series Heeramandi has had netizens talking. But how does this connect to Anarkali and an 18th-century Philologist? 1/20
Heeramandi's Bibbojaan, played by Aditi Rao Hyderi herself, expressed this confusion, in an interview where she revealed that she had no idea what kind of walk it was called, a swan walk or an elephant walk. 2/20
Aditi’s character is introduced in the series performing a Mujra (a form of dance) for Nawab Ali Mohammaed (played by Fardeen Khan). Her Gaja-Gamini performance has captivated netizens. 3/20