OEUVRE
“For me, the greatest feat in life is to develop courage
—to retain my individuality and access my emotions
—to feel, think and express myself.“
shine to serve
HEERA ALAYA
Animal aficionado. Dendrophile. Orophile. Progressive pantheist.
OPEN WINDOWS
“How can those who harm their children be considered family? The family unit is far guiltier than the outsider—because we know, trust, and depend on family. When the family exploits our trust, they become far worse criminals than the outsiders. Criminals often harm others with the knowledge that their actions will go unchallenged simply because they are family. Such people are bigger criminals because they know they will go scot-free. Those around perpetrators of crime must not enable them—when they do, this disturbed individual feels entitled to perpetrate crimes outside the home. One who sets fire to human life should not be shielded.”
ASHA DEVI
The late Nirbhaya’s mother
GENE BAUR
Co-Founder, Farm Sanctuary
“The fact is, the dairy industry is among the most abusive. For a cow to produce milk, she must have a calf yearly. The calf is taken away immediately at birth. If the calf is female, she is raised to become a milking cow. And if a calf is a male, he is useless to the dairy farm. The veal industry was created to use all these unwanted male calves born on dairy farms. With increasing concern over veal calves, dairy calves are now raised for beef.”
LOTTIE ALLEN
Head Gardener Hidcote Manor
“We use as little water as possible, and when we do, it is water harvested from a natural spring running through the garden. This year [2024], we hardly used any of it. But we would irrigate the main lawn if we needed to. The central access, the main strip, is the most important, as the grass is as important as the plants and needs to be kept green. Whereas the big lawn, if it goes yellow, it is just dealing with the hot weather, and it would come back.”
GAURI MAULEKHI
Animal rights campaigner
“We worship the elephant—lord Ganesha, but torture elephants in temples and circuses and make them beg. Cows and hens are the most abused animal species in the whole world, followed by pigs and, to some extent, goats. The scale of the problem makes cows the most abused animal—cows are tethered their entire lives, continuously impregnated, forced through cycles of childbirth, separated from their calves, and eventually slaughtered.”
THE BRIGHT SIDE
“Taking the time to sit quietly with your thoughts—contemplating the myriad seasons of life and engaging in earnest self-reflection—draws you toward a deeper understanding …”
my knowing
“If you are in the right, stand firm. Never compromise, never apologise,
never conceal your scars, never diminish your pain, never hide
and never let others talk you out of your narrative. When you deny your TRUTH,
you deny your rights, your voice and your life.
So, ensure you own your NARRATIVE, your IDENTITY and your DESTINY.”
HEERA ALAYA
SOARING WARRIOR
“If, as a baby, my skull had fractured as a result of being thrown on the floor; if, as a child, I had died in the Military Hospital; if, as a teenager, I had been molested by the men set up to assault me, if, as a young adult, I had committed suicide, if, as an adult, I had been pummeled to death, if, I had gone missing, if…there would be no answers; I would have been another cold case. This harsh truth makes me deeply pained for the child in me, incredibly sad for the young, innocent woman I was and highly furious for the numerous innocent scapegoat lives set up for grave, irretrievable damage. My survival—from childhood—is not a mystery …”
FRENCH LAUNDRY
With everyday wear and tear, sweat, body oils and environmental substances, unpleasant odours and unsightly stains develop in clothes and linens. These unhygienic fabrics become harborage sites for bacteria and microorganisms. Laundering—based on Latin lavanda.
MARIONETTES
Shortly: Small puppets manipulated by strings, with their origins in ancient Egypt and later popular in Greece (known as nevróspastos, drawn by strings), were used to illustrate biblical events, entertain and tell stories, and get their name from the French term Marion.
ROIS DES RATS
“In the Hindu epic Ramayana, a pivotal event involves Hanuman’s tail. Unbeknownst to him, Ravana was writing the first chapter in the story of his destruction. After capturing Hanuman, he ordered Hanuman’s tail be set on fire as an act of humiliation. Hanuman’s purity …”
in their words
“We know of a baby who was raped;
the charges against this baby were that she was seducing men.
The police had to blame someone, and the girl victim was the easy target.
When a six-year-old child disappears, the police say she must have run away.
You are slandering the character of a girl child who can’t wear her underwear
correctly on her own. The female is always a whore, and the male is a pure angel.”
SANTWANA MANJU
Rescuer and counsellor, Guria
INDIVIDUAL
“A rhythmic orchestra is in motion, presenting the interdependent cycle of replenishing benevolence. The rain causes the sloping bird bath to swell, which in turn flows down onto the grassy floor, while droplets from rain-drenched trees fill the basin.”