Keli, the younger daughter of Punyapal and Aastha Punamiya, will accept diksha at a grand ceremony on December 1.A 13-year-old Jain girl from Dahanu represents the fourth generation in her family to accept diksha or monkhood. mid-day spends an afternoon with the Punamiyas and comes away feeling enlightened. Keli`s grandfather, Dr Prakash Punamiya, recalls how his father started the tradition by accepting diksha at the age of 52, which was followed by the next two generations of the Punmiya Clan.

A new independent study has revealed alarming pollution levels in the eco-fragile coastal town of Dahanu taluka, where mega-crore development road and infra projects are threatening further gloom for the locals. A just-released study by Chennai-based Healthy Energy Initiative (India) revealed that Dahanu taluka suffers from alarmingly high levels of air pollution. Mid-day’s journalists travelled to Dahanu to assess the on-ground situation.