Marika Gabriel

Hollywood has a problem. Will Smith is its symbol

Lost in the conversations, memes, .gifs, and hot-takes surrounding the Will Smith-Chris Rock fiasco, was the incident itself — of a man who assaulted another man on live television with complete impunity.

The crowd — full of revered actors whom many of us admire, even idolise — raised their glasses to Smith when he won the Oscar, and the show went on as planned.

opinion

Updated on Mar 30, 2022 09:45 PM IST

ByMarika Gabriel

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Olympics and the art of competitive swimming

What sets the sport apart is the fact that it isn’t just a race against other swimmers, it is a battle with the water that they swim in as well

Every breath swimmers take has the power to increase their time. Ergo, the fewer breaths they take, the faster they are likely to be (AFP)

opinion

Updated on Jul 24, 2021 07:35 PM IST

ByMarika Gabriel

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A year since the TikTok ban, India set to stay the course on Chinese apps

The decision sent ripples through the community of online users as TikTok, a fast-growing short-video streaming application, was on the list. TikTok, according to Bloomberg data, had nearly 200 million users in India last year

india news

Updated on Jul 01, 2021 12:15 PM IST

ByDeeksha Bhardwaj and Marika Gabriel

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How politics eclipsed the Emmy Awards

Held amid the Covid-19 pandemic, A-list actors received their awards with a message for a more diverse and inclusive America

Host Jimmy Kimmel spoke to an empty auditorium while stars of the night sat in their homes with their families, friends and co-stars(AP)

analysis

Updated on Sep 23, 2020 03:49 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByMarika Gabriel

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Harper’s open letter on justice is not just

The political positions of key signatories, and their unwillingness to share their own platforms for progressive causes, are deeply troubling

Why were (some of) these high-profile, arguably divisive, artists brought on to sign a letter on the urgent need to be, well, less divisive?(SHUTTERSTOCK)

analysis

Updated on Jul 14, 2020 03:07 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByMarika Gabriel

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The Cancel Culture is toxic. It is time we resist it | HT Analysis

It is a product of an unequal society. It is an expression of angst and exhaustion at society’s injustices. This is why we must ask ourselves: How must a flawed, imperfect society respond, and not react, to oppression and inequality?

In an all-encompassing speech, Phoenix talked about the urgency of fixing the world, for peaceful coexistence of all living beings, and concluded with the importance of giving second chances(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

analysis

Updated on Feb 15, 2020 06:52 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByMarika Gabriel

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The importance of being Toni Morrison

Unabashedly woman, uncompromisingly black, painfully honest, and starkly political, her work represented everything she stood for — perseverance, determination, resilience, and most importantly, freedom

Toni Morrison died on August 5, aged 88. She is gone, but the world is a better place because she lived.(AP)

analysis

Updated on Aug 10, 2019 06:36 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByMarika Gabriel

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Back to the basics: Delhi leads the way in road safety

The introduction of fully automated driving tests in three centres in the capital, which began in early March this year, ensures transparency. Owing to the scientific accuracy of automated tests and minimal human interference, it has the potential to change the way India learns to drive

In a move to fix the broken system, the Delhi government is attempting to stop road accidents even before they occur(Mohd Zakir/HT PHOTO)

analysis

Updated on Jul 09, 2019 06:32 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByMarika Gabriel

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What India must do to solve its mental health crisis

There is a desperate need for mental health literacy. An ecosystem of care, empathy and inclusion requires involvement of politicians, celebrities, activists, scholars and citizens. Only then can we change the way we address mental illnesses. The conversation must start.

This remains one of India’s biggest challenges in addressing mental illness: a general lack of mental health literacy. Mental illnesses – anxiety, depression, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia among many others – are neglected in India(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

analysis

Updated on Apr 07, 2019 05:47 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByMarika Gabriel

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Time to hop off the moral outrage bandwagon

The principle behind the moral outrage is the idea that, without these elements — violent video games, explicit music, erotic books and sexualised TV shows — society would be a kinder, less violent, and better place. This isn’t true

The PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) booth is shown at the Paris Games Week (PGW). Developed by South Korean company Bluehole, PUBG encourages strategy and procedure(REUTERS)

analysis

Published on Mar 02, 2019 06:04 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByMarika Gabriel

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Opinion| Politics is still considered a man’s world. Why this must change

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Sadhana Singh attacking Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati with caste and gender-coloured remarks, is representative of a culture supported by parties

Data and indicators released by various international monitoring bodies say that in several fields –including health, education, economic and political — women in India suffer widespread inequality.(File Photo)

analysis

Updated on Jan 24, 2019 07:53 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByMarika Gabriel

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India needs more good Samaritans

Unfortunately for victims of road accidents, crowds are just observers, and often hesitate to help, and with good reason. With accidents come the police, and with the police come investigations. Assistance is therefore, not always easy or instinctive. This is primarily because people are unaware of Section 134A of the Motor Vehicles Act – the Good Samaritan Law.

The WHO in its ‘World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention, 2004’ has projected that by 2020, road accidents will be one of the biggest killers in India.(HT File Photo)

analysis

Updated on Nov 29, 2018 07:39 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByMarika Gabriel

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Why we need to acknowledge Netflix’s take on diversity

Sacred Games portrays Mumbai in all its paradoxical glory, and the need for social, cross-cultural acceptance

Netflix's first original Indian series released on July 6 as the US streaming giant battles with Amazon Prime for a slice of India's fast growing on-demand video market.(AFP)

analysis

Updated on Jul 30, 2018 05:44 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByMarika Gabriel

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Marika Gabriel

Lost in the conversations, memes, .gifs, and hot-takes surrounding the Will Smith-Chris Rock fiasco, was the incident itself — of a man who assaulted another man on live television with complete impunity.

What sets the sport apart is the fact that it isn’t just a race against other swimmers, it is a battle with the water that they swim in as well

The decision sent ripples through the community of online users as TikTok, a fast-growing short-video streaming application, was on the list. TikTok, according to Bloomberg data, had nearly 200 million users in India last year

Held amid the Covid-19 pandemic, A-list actors received their awards with a message for a more diverse and inclusive America

The political positions of key signatories, and their unwillingness to share their own platforms for progressive causes, are deeply troubling

It is a product of an unequal society. It is an expression of angst and exhaustion at society’s injustices. This is why we must ask ourselves: How must a flawed, imperfect society respond, and not react, to oppression and inequality?

Unabashedly woman, uncompromisingly black, painfully honest, and starkly political, her work represented everything she stood for — perseverance, determination, resilience, and most importantly, freedom

The introduction of fully automated driving tests in three centres in the capital, which began in early March this year, ensures transparency. Owing to the scientific accuracy of automated tests and minimal human interference, it has the potential to change the way India learns to drive

There is a desperate need for mental health literacy. An ecosystem of care, empathy and inclusion requires involvement of politicians, celebrities, activists, scholars and citizens. Only then can we change the way we address mental illnesses. The conversation must start.

The principle behind the moral outrage is the idea that, without these elements — violent video games, explicit music, erotic books and sexualised TV shows — society would be a kinder, less violent, and better place. This isn’t true

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Sadhana Singh attacking Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati with caste and gender-coloured remarks, is representative of a culture supported by parties

Sacred Games portrays Mumbai in all its paradoxical glory, and the need for social, cross-cultural acceptance

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