We are grateful to have had the opportunity to share some of the unique stories and information with our readers through The Carmel Beat this year. As the year draws to a close, we wish to acknowledge the efforts of our wonderful team and the feedback of our readers. It has been a work in progress and caught in this inquisitive journey, we let ourselves be led by stories from around the world. Our efforts ensured a deserving space in our capacity for every fresh perspective we could come across.

 

Picking up the car keys to take a ride to commute sounds like a normal activity. However, this was a privilege legally not given to the women of Saudi Arabia. In 2018 the Monarch lifted the ban on women driving - “A fundamental yet revolutionary decision by the kingdom.” It was more than just lifting a ban. It was the freedom to move freely, it was freedom to be where you want to be and a freedom from dependency on the male members of their family to get there. One of our articles this time sheds light to the possibilities of great impacts on the society sparked by very subtle changes.

 

Centuries of struggle by the feminist movement is unfortunately burdened by misconceptions regarding its goals. In the void, echo-chamber of social media, users tend to amplify their uninformed opinions and spread discontent. In this issue, we have tried to show how such poorly informed people, with special emphasis on men, conceptualize their understanding of feminism. We also address the general ambiguity that surrounds the world as the real meaning of it is still not quite understood by a significant part of the population.

 

The issue also carries a review on “Born a Crime”, autobiography of the South African stand-up comedian Trevor Noah. Another review on the movie Mahanagar created by Satyajit Roy is also included.

 

How are people managing to heal during the pandemic? Can commenting on one's weight-loss be a compliment? How does life as an outstation student look like? How did the Pottery Town of Bengaluru fight for it's survival? This issue delves into all these questions and more.

 

The times that we live in are ever-changing. The stories that we have put forward makes us reminisce how far we have come and reminds us how far we have to go. Our final issue once again attempts to get to the nitty-gritty of some of the various lifestyles around us. Dear readers, we hope you enjoy our Final Issue and are looking forward to hearing your feedback.

 

Signing off,

The Carmel Beat team of 2021-2022