The colour of your skin does not matter. It is who you are as a person that does

Does your skin colour define you? Of course, it doesn’t. What you do, your talent, and the person you are, define you. Raipur-born 20-year-old Bhoomika Yadav has defied the odds to make a mark. In a Chennai Times article, Bhoomika is featured, with pictures of her debuting with Chanel at Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026. Wanting to pursue her career in global modelling and also be a part of projects in India, she tells reporter Aakanksha Ahire that she has not seen a dark-skinned girl alone on any beauty brand billboard in India. She says it is so weird considering that a majority of Indian girls have dusky to dark brown complexion. And because it is so difficult, she wishes to do it, wanting to be that girl on the billboard for the next generation of girls. Bhoomika believes in letting talent and success speak. Now, here is a young woman who inspires – not just the young but also the old.

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In the assembly elections held in Tamil Nadu on the 23rd, women power came to the fore – more women cast their votes than men. According to the Election Commission of India, the polling percentage of women was 85.78%, while that of men was 83.57%. About 2.51 crore women, of the total 2.93 crore electorate, voted. For men, it was 2.34 crore out of the 2.8 crore electorate. In other words, women outvoted men by more than 17 lakh. Another tidbit: Sholinganallur, the largest assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu in terms of the number of voters, registered a huge jump in voter turnout – 80.4% as against 55% in 2021, says a report by The Hindu.  

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Here is an example of residents and an NGO coming together to work for the public good and showing the way. In Thiruvallur, the Manavalan Nagar Residents Welfare Association, collaborating with Care Earth Trust, has managed to restore the 300-acre Vengathur Lake which is located close to the Cooum River, turning it into a rich groundwater source.  According to a report by K. Lakshmi in The Hindu, the three-year project has yielded rich dividends with the lake having water even during peak summer days. The residents are now enthused to save more water bodies from sewage and garbage dumping.