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<ul><li>Prabha Desai is the director of Sanmitra Trust, a voluntary trust that works on the ground level in Mumbai's second-largest slum — Malwani. </li><li>In an interview with Business Insider, Desai shed light on how having the right laws in place is an integral step towards fighting stigmas in society and ensuring identity. </li><li>Desai's has been a part of the advocacy to scrap <keyword id="6362797" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="section-377">Section 377</keyword>, fight Mumbai's HIV epidemic, and legalise dance bars in the city. </li></ul>It's not easy to spread hope in Mumbai's second-largest slum, Malwani. But, Prabha Desai is fighting against the stigmas to ensure employability and dignity of labour for women in the colony. On the ground, she works with female and floating sex workers, HIV+ children and women, and transgender individuals within the community. However, as the director of Sanmitra Trust, she's also done a lot of advocacy work — including decriminalising homosexuality by getting Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) scrapped and fighting against the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, which curtails the rights of sex workers in the country. "Final outcome is that we have a more inclusive society and sex is longer stigmatised, at least legally. Socially, it will take some time," Desai told Business Insider in an interview. Getting the law on your side Before 2017, Mumbai was engrossed in a battle against HIV with no laws in place to keep it in check. As an activist, Desai was able to participate in the process of bringing about the HIV Aids Act through a lawyer's collective. With a concrete law in place, she could now work with the police more effectively to remove the taboo around HIV. "Law creates an enabling environment on paper… In the last ten years, we have worked with the police for AIDS control and made them aware that we're not doing illegal things — we're not doing wrong things. First, remove the bias from your mind," she said. Now, every police station in Desai's community cooperates with her, but that's largely thanks to the putting concrete laws in place to strengthen her argument. People have also come to the realisation that the fight against AIDS isn't a one-person task but something for which the community needs to rally together. "Things are moving now. If law is not your side — on the side of these people who are facing discrimination and isolation — then there are so many problems. The biggest obstacles are over," she remarked. Women taking charge Having the right laws in place helps isolated women in society have an identity. Desai has worked with lawyers to legalise dance bars in Mumbai and scrap Section 377 to ensure to create a more inclusive society. "We fought against the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. We participated and demanded that it should be decriminalised and it shouldn't be an offence. Women should not be punished," she said. However, that's only one part of the problem. The second is making sure that these women have other options — a way to participate in the economy and be financially independent, by having access to opportunity. In service of that goal, Desai set up an alternative trade skill training centre. Now, she's in the process of launching her own mega-textile cluster for tannery operations with 500 women on board. Other changes have been happening on the ground as well. Women in Malwani are now looking to drive, have their own bank accounts — and know how to bank online. 52 women from the community got their licences last year, of whom four were HIV+. "In my area, now women wearing a burqa and going on scooty is common, nobody looks at them also," said Desai. There's still a long road ahead to fix all the problems that Malwani faces. The area has its own infrastructural problems — like lack of drainage and sanitation — which makes work twice as hard. But, with the law on their side, Desai feels things are going to improve even faster now.

Fighting AIDS, decriminalising LGBTQ+, and legalising dance bars are only some of the achievements by a woman fighting stereotypes in Mumbai's second-largest slum

It’s often said that a road trip strengthens your bonds with loved ones. The crux of a road trip lies in spontaneity, but that being said, if you manage to get a guidebook, that’s nothing like it. Fret not buddy. For you, <keyword id="824043" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Business-Insider">Business Insider</keyword> has curated a go-to guide to help you plan your Mumbai-Goa road trip. <keyword id="51958" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="YES">Yes</keyword> the much planned one. 
 
Choosing the right car 
The most crucial aspect of a road trip is choosing the right car. If you have to drive for 11-12 hours continuously, you need a car that is sturdy, economic and comfortable. You can think of lending a self driven one from any of the providers. Cars with dual air bags and ABS are recommended. However, if you have a car that isn’t fitted with these but you have experience of driving more than 10K kilometres, get set go. 
 
Route 
 
Mumbai-Goa Highway via NH 17, 66 
Distance: 587 km 
Time: 12 hours 
Mumbai- Panvel- Kolad- Chiplun- Pali- Sawantwadi- Goa 
 
<keyword id="3643223" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="mumbai-goa">Mumbai Goa</keyword> via NH4 
Distance: 607 km 
Time: 10 hours 
Mumbai-Pune-Satara-Kolhapur-Belgaum-Goa 
 Once you have chosen your car, the next vital thing is to plan the route. To reach Goa from Mumbai, there are two ways. One is through NH4 (<keyword id="3753795" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="via-pune">Via Pune</keyword>), while the other one is NH 17 (Via Ratnagiri, Ganpatipule). 
 
According to experts, NH4 is safe as the lanes are straight and fit for fast driving. With proper dividers and lane markings, this would be a comfortable ride. 
 
However, this is expensive route as it has quite a few tolls along the way. 
 
On the other hand, NH17 is narrow, crowded and one has to drive through the ghats. While there would too many trucks to limit your speed, the breathtaking view of the ghats would compensate that pain. 
 You can also relish <keyword id="54530" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Malwani">Malwani</keyword> food from the road side dhabas. Plus, you have access to Smart Infotainment on board to solve your GPS issues. 
 
Refuelling 
One of the core principles of a road trip is to refuel as soon as the car tank is half empty because in the next 2 hours, you might not come across any gas stations. 
 
The 634 km route from Mumbai to Goa would require a few refuelling stops. Depending on the car’s fuel economy, you need to chalk out your refuel plans. 
 However, if you are in a petrol vehicle, which gives a mileage in the range of 14-17km per litre, you would need to refuel twice. If you take the NH 4 via Pune, you will get gas stations at <keyword id="1855146" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="savantwadi">Savantwadi</keyword> and Ratnagiri. 
 For the other route, you would get ample of petrol pumps along <keyword id="292866" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolad">Kolad</keyword> and Chiplun. 
 
Stopovers The best part of driving down to Goa is you can stop anywhere you want to, especially for the food that the Mumbai –Goa route is most famous for. If you are on the NH4, you would get dhabas at <keyword id="49439" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Satara">Satara</keyword> and <keyword id="49077" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolhapur">Kolhapur</keyword>. Here you would get all basic Indian food, right from fish curry to idli. On NH66, you can stop at Chiplun. 
 
Other things to note 
Make sure the wheels are properly inflated before journey to ensure safety and convenience. 
Sleep well the previous night. 
Carry a first aid kit, essential medicines and a Swiss knife. 
Follow traffic rules. 
 
Have fun.

Here’s a go-to guide for your Mumbai-Goa roadtrip

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Wall Streeters do not have time. 
They do not have time to go shopping.
They do not have time to try on clothes.
They do not have time to drop off/pick up their dry cleaning.
But they must always - always - look sophisticated. Not just good. Sophisticated.
In the past the solution to this problem was a myriad of speedy tailor fittings and a rush of assistants and interns making runs to local launderers.
Now, as men's <keyword id="6354851" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Retail">retail</keyword> moves online, a company called <a href="https://www.combatgent.com/">Combatant Gentleman</a> has become a one-stop shop for professional men who want to look polished without spending the money and time they've had to in the past. A button down shirt will cost you between $30-$40. A suit or tuxedo between $200 and $220.
Founded in 2010, the company has become the most shipped-to package at Goldman Sachs, according to co-founder Vishaal Malwani. Not a bad start.
Malwani is a tailor by trade - a third generation Versace tailor specifically. He grew up watching celebrities go in and out of the Versace store in his hometown of Las Vegas and cut his teeth making salvage denim. After selling one jean company, he decided he wanted to do something bigger. Something that used technology to make it easier for men to dress.
"At that time I had never actually walked into a Men's Warehouse... and they took me into one and I was like holy s---t," he said.
It was not a positive exclamation.
"I knew we wanted a brand that felt like a Hugo Boss or a Xenia... but cheaper than Men's Warehouse," said Malwani. "It really caught on with the finance guys... it was fashion for people who wanted clothing for work that was modernly tailored, but wouldn't give them option anxiety."
Not only did Malwani know what he wanted the brand to feel like, but also how much he wanted it to cost. Being a child of the industry, he understood how Gucci, Versace and other fashion houses lower their costs but keep the quality of their products high.
This is where the story gets interesting for business geeks. Combatant Gentleman keeps its own costs low the same way the big guys do - through vertical integration. The company owns the sheep where it gets its wool in Italy, and the fields where its cotton grows in India.
And here's where it gets interesting for the tech geeks. Everything from the company's tight supply chain to the way it makes patterns is set by an algorithm. To determine a precise size, a customer fills in their measurements online and the system takes it from there. 
"We're letting data take over this year and let us streamline the company," said Malwani. We like to think that we are tech first."
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>
This is an approach that encompasses all of the business - even brand discovery. It is, in fact, an approach that's taking over retail as we know it.
"The interesting thing about a brand like Combatant Gentleman is that you can grow into a brand with a huge buzz, and then all the sudden you're big at Goldman Sachs just because the way consumers are discovering brands is different," said Elizabeth Dunn, founder of retail consultancy Talmage Advisors.
Instead of walking by stores and getting interested, shoppers are seeing ads online or getting links to stores from friends. When they do go into stores, half of all customers have already figured out what they want by browsing online.
"I think the challenge for traditional retailers is how to stay on top of what's buzz worthy and stay in the conversation of things that are influencing consumers," said Dunn adding: [online retailers] "don't need the brick and mortar stores to bless their concepts anymore."
Combatant Gentleman raised $2.2 million in 2012 and 2013, and made it to profitability by spring 2014. Part of that was because of stories like this:
"The moment I knew it was going to work? It was very early on," said Malwani. "We sold out of white shirts. They [the customers] had ordered 3,000 in a matter of a month."
A customer who worked at Deloitte asked customer service when Combatant Gentleman would be restocking the white shirts, and was informed of the back log.
"The guy said - 'I know, I ordered 30 shirts. It's cheaper than dry cleaning in the city,' That's when it hit me that this our guy." Malwani told Business Insider. "He wants to focus his life on getting ahead and he's using us as a service. That's when I realized there's a lot of guys like this."
Likely there will soon be more.

Wall Street Is Ordering Suits And Shirts From This Men's Clothing Startup In Bulk

<keyword id="6356172" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Maharashtra-government">Maharashtra government</keyword> is planning to modify rules on liquor consumption including allowing a permit holder to keep 12 bottles of <keyword id="6359858" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="alcohol">alcohol</keyword> at home against the existing two as it feels that these steps would help curb deaths due to sale of spurious alcohol. 
 
Under the present rules, a person in the state also needs a day's permit to consume alcohol at a bar or any other public place (permit room) but the government is mulling doing away with this system too. 
 State <keyword id="97443" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Excise-minister">Excise Minister</keyword> <keyword id="6357736" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Eknath-Khadse">Eknath Khadse</keyword> said the government is likely to issue a notification next month to modify the existing law. 
 
"More than a 100 people unnecessarily lost their lives in the Malwani hooch incident. After that incident, the state Excise department is trying various measures to curb the sale of spurious and illegal alcohol," Khadse told PTI. 
 
"One of the steps the Excise department has suggested is to allow a permit holder to keep 12 bottles of liquor at home in place of the existing two," he said. 
 
Under the current law, a person needs a permit to keep alcohol at home in Maharashtra. 
 
The government will be not be required to amend the existing Bombay Prohibition Act, he said adding that the state Cabinet is empowered to bring necessary changes in the law. 
 
The government is also likely to do away with the existing system where a person consuming alcohol has to take a day's permit before consuming liquor, the minister said. 
 
"When a person goes to a permit room that is legal, he has to spend on getting a day's permit. One should not be asked to pay extra while sitting in a place that already has a permit to serve alcohol," he told PTI. 
 
Khadse said the Excise department has also suggested to increase the minimum quantity of alcohol to be stored in each bottle from the existing 750 ml to 1,000 ml. 
 
"The Excise department has suggested increasing the minimum quantity that can be stored in each bottle from 750 to 1,000 ml. But we are not keen on doing that at the moment," he told PTI. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

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Fighting AIDS, decriminalising LGBTQ+, and legalising dance bars are only some of the achievements by a woman fighting stereotypes in Mumbai's second-largest slum

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