Book excerpt: When was the last time you walked down a beach, or a street, or even your neighborhood park without coming across plastic wrappers and bags strewn around carelessly? And, what are the chances that you don’t remember? As we observe Earth Day on April 22, our Cover Story takes a deep dive into the seemingly disparate but inexorably intertwined aspects around the theme for this year, ‘Plastic vs Planet’. We also bring you the silver lining - while the alarm bells are ringing louder than ever, there are many whose passion is driving them to make a difference. As electioneering picks up for the Lok Sabha and Odisha Vidhan Sabha elections, there is one person whose presence will be deeply missed. 2024 will be the first time in many decades that veteran politician Dr Damodar Rout’s personality will not loom large on the state’s political scene. In CityZen, we explore the life and times of the veteran Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader who passed away recently. We also bring you the inspirational journey of Amiyabala Parida and her transformation from a professor to a social activist. In a candid conversation, she opens up about how losing two of the closest members of her family to road accidents changed her outlook towards life in general and society in particular. Mention Teletubbies to anyone who grew up in the 90s and, more often than not, it will bring a smile to their face as fond memories come alive. No reference to the iconic British TV show can be complete without a mention of the Sun Baby whose character looms large over the Teletubbies universe. In a Q&A session, we catch up with Jessica Smith, who played the baby-faced sun, as she talks about how the show happened, her own baby, and the legacy of Teletubbies. In Screen Shots, we zoom in on two Odias who are aspiring to make a mark in Tollywood. Having been cast in a Telugu film boasting of some big names from the industry, Dr Devika Priyadarshini and Abhi Nag talk about how it feels to land a film starring superstar Anushka Shetty. The section also features emerging Odia actor Prasanjeet Mahapatra who has left a mark in the handful of films he has been a part of so far. The 30-year-old talks to us about the success of his latest film and the projects lined up in future.