When Time magazine named Safeena Husain one of 16 Women of the Year 2026, she was standing outside at a Mumbai philanthropy conference, looking up at a sky so clear she could see the stars. “That almost never happens in Mumbai,” she told me later. “I felt so inspired.”. Safeena Husain. Making the impossible visible has been Safeena’s life’s work. For two decades, she has searched for the girls in India’s most forgotten villages, the ones with names like Maafi (forgive me for having a girl) and Missed Call (we asked God for a boy, but he missed the call).. I had known I would love Safeena Husain before I even met her.. As a mother of three girls — engineers, athletes, dreamers — I’ve felt deep gratitude to the women who made those futures possible. And Safeena Husain, founder of Educate Girls, is up there with the fighters.. We meet early this year at the Jaipur Literature Festival. Sitting across from me, Safeena looks elegant in a teal blue silk sari and long navy coat. She smiled when she saw me holding Every Last Girl, the book she is there to launch.. The book is full of heartbreaking stories. But it also offers hope, with many strategies to get girls into school. One innovative approach stages village plays dramatizing the life-and-death effects of illiteracy.. Safeena speaks with intensity and clarity. We talk about her childhood reading, the process of writing her book, and the impact of winning the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award. Here are edited excerpts of our conversation.. Safeena, are you a reader?. My parents divorced when I was young. My mother remarried, and my stepfather was an alcoholic. We lived in a one-room janta flat in Delhi. I was always in my own world, a girl with her nose in a book.. There used to be a mobile library outside Naoroji Nagar in Delhi that would come to our neighborhood, and I read a lot of books from there.. I read books with all sorts of titles, like Yahan Ka Vyapari, which I later realized was a translation of The Merchant of Venice. I read a lot of stuff, but I read it all in Hindi.. In Saket there was a sabzi mandi, and there was this place that rented comic books cheaply, and I read all those comic book digests—anything I could get my hands on.. You went from Hindi comic books to Nobel prize-winning Korean author Han Kang — how did that journey happen?. I shifted to reading in English, which was hard at first. I began with simpler books, like the Enid Blyton and Nancy Drew series. In high school, I moved to Oscar Wilde, G.B. Shaw, etc.. Now I’m discovering many female writers—books like The Vegetarian (Han Kang) and Butter (by Asako Yuzuki) . There’s incredible writing out there, like Bunny (Mona Awad), wildly imaginative, and Sally Rooney. I love these young women with fresh voices.. And now you are the author of a book? What prompted this decision to write?. I was in Oxford giving a talk when the moderator later told me, “So much has been written about you—I’ve 

 The Election Commission on Sunday ordered immediate transfer of top Bengal officials, including the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, hours after it announced the schedule for state elections.. The Election Commission of India (ECI) on March 15 announced the schedule for assembly polls in four states. (File Photo). The sweeping actions comes after the Election Commission announced the schedule of assembly elections for four states, including West Bengal, and one UT. Bengal goes to polling in two-phases on April 23 and 29, while the counting of votes will be done on May 4.. In the order released late on Sunday, the poll body said Dushyant Nariala, an IAS of 1993 batch, will be posted as Chief Secretary in the poll-bound Bengal. Nariala replaces Nandini Chakravorty who was appointed to the post on December 31, 2025.. Also Read: Election dates for Kerala, West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry out | Check full schedule. The EC also announced the removal of Jagdish Prasad Meena, a 2004-batch IAS officer, as the Principal Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs in the state government. He will be replaced with Sanghamitra Ghosh, a 1997-batch officer.. The poll body said that the directions will be implemented with immediate effect and a compliance report regarding the joining of the above officers should be sent by 3pm on Monday, March 16.. The Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP in Bengal were quick to react to the poll body’s move. While the TMC took a swipe at EC, saying that it can trasfter officers to satisfy its boss, it cannot transfer Mamata from hearts of the people.. Also Read: Why West Bengal voting phases have been reduced to 2 from 8. “EC is only following orders to satisfy its boss. You can transfer officers but cannot transfer Mamata Banerjee from the hearts of the people,” TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty told Hindustan Times.. BJP, on the other hand, said that the Election Commission should ensure that no officials with links to the party should be part of the election machinery in the state.. “Around 250 of our workers and members were killed before, during and after the 2021 assembly polls. We urged ECI to ensure that no officer having links with the ruling party should be part of the election machinery,” Bengal BJP’s chief spokesperson Debjit Sarkar said. 

 The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia has issued an advisory for nationals in the Gulf country, advising the people to remain vigilant and adhere to safety guidelines of the Saudi government.. The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia issued an advisory for Indian nationals on Sunday. (AP). The advisory comes even as Saudi Arabia said its air defences have intercepted and destroyed a drone over the Eastern Province.. “In view of the prevailing situation in the region and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, all Indian Nationals currently in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are advised to continue to remain vigilant, strictly adhere to the safety guidelines prevalent in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and follow advisories issued by the local authorities and the Embassy,” the embassy posted on X.. The advisory said the Indian Embassy in Saudi, consulates and visa services through VFS continue to function normally.. “The Embassy of India, Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah and its outsourced services through VFS, are continuing to function normally and will issue updates and advisories as and when necessary. Consular Camps are being undertaken on a regular basis,” the post added.. Indian and Saudi airlines continue operating as per regular schedules to Indian cities from Jeddah and Madinah, the advisory said.. “While Saudi carriers also continue to operate from Riyadh and Dammam to Indian destinations, Indian carriers have also resumed operations from Riyadh,” it added.. The latest advisory comes a week after the embassy issued an advisory for Indian nationals on similar lines on March 8.. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said he held a telephonic conversation with Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan.. “Had a telecon last night with FM Faisal bin Farhan of Saudi Arabia. Discussed ongoing developments related to the conflict in West Asia,” Jaishankar said in a post on X.. The Indian External Affairs Minister also spoke with the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and discussed the situation in West Asia. 

 The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia has issued an advisory for nationals in the Gulf country, advising the people to remain vigilant and adhere to safety guidelines of the Saudi government.. The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia issued an advisory for Indian nationals on Sunday. (AP). The advisory comes even as Saudi Arabia said its air defences have intercepted and destroyed a drone over the Eastern Province.. “In view of the prevailing situation in the region and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, all Indian Nationals currently in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are advised to continue to remain vigilant, strictly adhere to the safety guidelines prevalent in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and follow advisories issued by the local authorities and the Embassy,” the embassy posted on X.. The advisory said the Indian Embassy in Saudi, consulates and visa services through VFS continue to function normally.. “The Embassy of India, Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah and its outsourced services through VFS, are continuing to function normally and will issue updates and advisories as and when necessary. Consular Camps are being undertaken on a regular basis,” the post added.. Indian and Saudi airlines continue operating as per regular schedules to Indian cities from Jeddah and Madinah, the advisory said.. “While Saudi carriers also continue to operate from Riyadh and Dammam to Indian destinations, Indian carriers have also resumed operations from Riyadh,” it added.. The latest advisory comes a week after the embassy issued an advisory for Indian nationals on similar lines on March 8.. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said he held a telephonic conversation with Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan.. “Had a telecon last night with FM Faisal bin Farhan of Saudi Arabia. Discussed ongoing developments related to the conflict in West Asia,” Jaishankar said in a post on X.. The Indian External Affairs Minister also spoke with the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and discussed the situation in West Asia. 

 New Delhi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday called for enhanced public-private partnership to provide a new direction to the nation’s sports economy.. Rajnath calls for enhanced public-private partnership to boost sports economy. Addressing a gathering at the final match of the Aditya Birla Memorial Polo Cup here, he said, “The government, through a series of initiatives, is fostering a sports culture within the country where athletes and youth have access to opportunities, resources, and get respect.”. Singh called for enhanced public-private partnership in the sector to further elevate India’s prestige on the international stage, and to provide a new direction to the nation’s sports economy.. In the near future, India will “carve out a strong global identity for itself in sports, especially polo”, if the government, the private sector, and various social groups work together, the defence minister asserted.. He said polo is deeply rooted in the nation’s sporting traditions, spanning thousands of years, and can rightfully be designated as a “heritage sport” of India.. Singh noted that the Indian Army has made a significant contribution towards bringing talented players into the sport of polo and in preserving its rich heritage.. “Working in collaboration with the Indian Polo Association, the Indian Army has played a pivotal role in keeping this legacy vibrant and relevant.. “I am confident that, working together, we will foster a positive culture for Polo as well as other sports in India. This will enable our young talent to come to the fore and bring glory to the nation,” he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the ministry.. Singh said initiatives such as ‘Khelo India’ and the ‘Target Olympic Podium Scheme’, coupled with the unprecedented development of sports infrastructure, have provided the youth with a new platform to excel and move forward.. He added that the ‘National Sports Governance Act’ and the ‘Khelo Bharat Policy’ are set to yield immense benefits for talented athletes, and these measures will foster greater transparency and accountability within sports organisations.. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.