Author: Sharada Balasubramanian

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Conserving endemic small mammals

A Tamil researcher’s love for little mammals – from cute hedgehogs to despised rats – has got him on a mission to get villagers, especially children, to put away their catapults and help protect these small mammals.

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Using puppet power to spread messages

Thol paavai koothu, the long but fading tradition of leather puppetry in Tamil Nadu, is reinventing itself by bringing awareness about the declining number of small animals and the importance of conservation.

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Keeping Kurumba art alive

Ala Kurumba tribes inherited a flair for art from their forefathers who captured everyday life as rock paintings. But with only a handful of such artists left, they are desperate to keep this cultural expression alive.

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The last woman Kurumba tribal artist

Making paint from plants in the forest, Kalpana captures the stories of her people with each brush stroke. As the last woman of the five artists of her tribe left, she’s desperate to keep her art and culture from fading away. Here is Kalpana Balasubramanian’s story in her own words.

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Farmers rear fish in farm ponds for increased income

Frequent cyclones and industrial fishing have impacted the lives of fishermen and farmers in Nagapattinam. Rearing fish in farm ponds and growing crops on bunds have boosted their income

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Community college helps tribal women pursue vocational education

As we commemorate International Women’s Week, young tribal women in remote villages pursue vocational education towards their livelihood, in a college in familiar surrounds at timings that suit them

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Rural youth turn software developers right after school

Rural youth with the right aptitude are trained and employed in a technology company in Tirunelveli. Local employment has prevented migration and improved the families’ economic status

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Coastal communities in Tamil Nadu prepare for disasters

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Fishing communities living on the Bay of Bengal coast in Tamil Nadu, who are vulnerable to extreme weather events, are being trained by the Tamil Nadu government to prepare for disasters

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Andaman farmers reshape land for better farming

Land shaping has helped farmers in the Andaman Islands increase farm incomes despite limited availability of land, increasing soil salinity and inundations caused by cyclones and tides

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Winter farming technologies boost incomes in cold desert

With the farming season limited to just four months in Ladakh, villagers have turned to innovative, low-cost technologies to grow vegetables in winter that improves diets and boosts incomes, but smallholder farmers need post-harvest support

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Weavers of Negamam face social, economic challenges

The traditional handloom weavers of the famous Negamam cotton sarees in Tamil Nadu are dwindling in number as they battle changing social norms and economic challenges from cheaper products

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Inspired local governance transforms villages in Odanthurai

The Odanthurai village council in southern Tamil Nadu has shown how a Panchayati Raj institution can achieve holistic rural development with the help of wise leadership and community participation

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Snow leopard conservation brings socioeconomic benefits to Rumbak village

A remote hamlet in Leh’s high altitude Hemis National Park constantly loses its livestock to snow leopards, but have turned to homestays around conservation tourism, reaping rich rewards

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Winter farming technologies boost incomes in cold desert

With the farming season limited to just four months in Ladakh, villagers have turned to innovative, low-cost technologies to grow vegetables in winter that improves diets and boosts incomes, but smallholder farmers need post-harvest support

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Toilets as bride price scripts sanitation success in Haryana

A social marketing campaign urging parents of brides to demand toilets at marriage negotiations has led to a dramatic increase of 21% in private sanitation coverage in Haryana, particularly in rural areas

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Farmers in coastal Tamil Nadu battle drought with smart farming

Farmers of Vedaranayam in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu are surviving the current drought by growing diverse crops that suit their soil, despite the failure of the rains and not getting water from the Cauvery River for many years

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Rural children in Tamil Nadu remain at risk from snakebites

An underreported tragedy, not enough is being done to contain and treat injuries and death of children in rural Tamil Nadu due to snakebites, although it affects around 15% to 19% of kids in the countryside

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Campaign by tribal women groups brings down alcoholism in Attappadi

When women living around Attappadi Reserve Forest found that no development was possible due to chronic alcoholism among the tribal men, they banded together to rid the area of the menace and start a labor bank for employment

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Integrated organic farming revives Nemmeli’s fields

A holistic method of organic farming has reversed the harm reached to Nemmeli village due to high-intensity, high-inputs agriculture. It has also helped in pushing back soil salinity