Social Issues and Trends - Newspaper Summary

 The sources, in the context of the Mumbai Mint's "Think" section in October 2025, highlight several critical social issues and trends, revolving around the impact of modern, hyper-productive culture on mental well-being, the resilience and changing roles of women, the complexities of identity and belonging in a globalized world, and the subtle but pervasive threat of light pollution.

The Paradox of Time and Productivity (Hustle Culture)

A dominant social trend discussed is the intensification of "hustle culture" and its subsequent negative impact on individual well-being and the perception of time.

• Scarcity of Time and Self-Neglect: There is a pervasive feeling that time is scarce, leading people to constantly seek ways to "squeeze the most out of every second". The time spent by Indians on "self-care activities," including sleeping and personal hygiene, has steadily declined since 2019.
• Commodification of Leisure: This cultural pressure makes people feel that leisure time is "time wasted" unless it yields some kind of "commodity-like return". The focus is on doing more things faster and smarter in order to "have free time," creating a paradox where people are busier than ever.
• "Rawdogging" as a Trend: The rise of terms like "rawdogging" (Internet-speak for intentionally doing nothing for a few hours) reflects a desperate need to step away from constant stimulation, especially social media, to promote creative thinking and hone focus.
• Services Replacing Personal Care: The demand for time-saving has birthed services like quick-commerce apps and concierge/lifestyle managers who handle chores, gift buying, and schedule clearing, essentially giving clients the "gift of time" for a price. This reliance replaces formerly personalized acts of service and care with paid transactions.
• Loss of Patience and Multitasking: This obsession with optimization and speed has reduced patience levels considerably. Furthermore, even when free time is acquired, the instinct to multitask blurs the line between work and leisure, diminishing the joy of relaxation.

Environmental and Health Impact of Light Pollution

The sources bring attention to the often-ignored environmental and health threat posed by light pollution in urban environments.

• Pervasive but Unrecognized Pollution: Light pollution is described as hiding "in plain sight" because it does not smell, choke lungs, or deafen, leading people to pay little attention to it. A 2022 survey found that 57% of Indians aged 16-65 had not even heard of the term "light pollution".
• "Brighter the Better" Mantra: Despite complaints about visual pollution (e.g., garish LED screens and billboards), the urban development mentality promotes "more lights, brighter lights, floodlights to build a city that never sleeps". This is perceived as proof of progress ("India Shining").
• Health Risks: Medical studies cite connections between over-exposure to artificial light and health issues. Light pollution can cause stress and sleep disruption by reducing the production of melatonin. Studies link higher night-time light exposure to increased risks of breast cancer, prostate cancer, and Alzheimer's disease.
• A Call for Muted Lighting: Initiatives like the Kolkata Illumination Project demonstrate an alternative approach, using muted yellow LED lights of optimal intensity to illuminate heritage buildings without dazzling, setting an example against the high-wattage trend.

Evolving Identities, Gender, and Belonging

The sources explore shifts in social norms concerning women's roles, gender identity, and the existential experience of belonging:

• Women's Resilience and Autonomy: The themes of women "writing their own rules" are prominent in Shanta Gokhale's short stories, which explore women's choices with "feminist rage, pathos and dignity". Stories highlight women making "peculiar compromises" but retaining clarity and resolve, challenging marital norms (as in the protagonist Savitri creating an unconventional life built on trust), and having a "superior sense of self-preservation, pragmatism and survival" compared to men. The stories touch upon sensitive issues like caste and complex marital dynamics, where women often find strength in unconventional ways.
• Art and Female Labor: Artist Chila Kumari Burman's neon installations, steeped in feminist practice and South Asian heritage, focus on the resilience of women and reclaiming gendered histories. Her work Her Well Speaks in Jodhpur intervenes at a traditional stepwell, a space historically associated with female labor, transforming it with neon art as an "ode to the labour of women".
• Changing Masculinity: Gokhale's work also revisits the changing norms of masculinity in a society where women are increasingly vocalizing their choices, rendering men accustomed to traditional roles potentially irrelevant.
• Exile and Identity: Aatish Taseer's travel essays address profound social questions of identity and belonging, particularly through the lens of exile (having his OCI status revoked due to Pakistani parentage). He uses historical parallels, such as the blending and subsequent political reclamation of religious sites (like Istanbul's Hagia Sophia), to raise questions relevant to India and globally about societal succumbing to the "primal cry for a 'purity of blood'".

Cultural and Media Trends

Social trends are also observed in how culture is consumed and communicated:

• Shared Reading Culture: Ritesh Uttamchandani's photo-zine, Snoops on a Train, chronicles a "quirky sub-culture of shared reading" in Mumbai local trains, where commuters unconsciously share reading material, blurring the public and private spheres.
• Revival of Physical Media and Slow Communication: There is a romanticizing of traditional communication methods, emphasizing the materiality, slowness, and effort of writing letters, countering rapid digital exchange. The art of gifting consciously tries to align with this sentiment through the "Five Love Languages" framework, prioritizing intention over superficiality.
• Rediscovering Traditional Tools (PCs): In a counter-trend to mobile consumption, some parents and educators are encouraging children to return to old-school personal computers for "maker time" over passive consumption on tablets, facilitating "active creation" like coding.