Old well lone lifeblood for water-parched Bengal village

Barnali Sahu walks around 300 metres to a neighbour’s old, mossy well and brings home a pitcher filled with drinking water – a routine she has been following each day for the past three decades, ever since she stepped into Balidiha village of Jhargram district in West Bengal as a bride.  Running water is a… Continue reading Old well lone lifeblood for water-parched Bengal village

Women shed ‘forest encroachers’ tag, turn land owners

Forest is one of the common resources protected and managed by communities. But the controlling power over those lands lies with a few people, mostly those in the governing body. When kings ruled the land, the forest belonged to them. People who stayed there for generations had the permission to stay there in return for… Continue reading Women shed ‘forest encroachers’ tag, turn land owners

Alive with the sound of music

Dashug began taking shape in Ladakh after the members of the band first met during jamming sessions organised privately. Each of them carried a passion for rock. Their friendship grew and soon the band came into being. The different skills of every member add to the richness of the band. Nurboo is a singer while… Continue reading Alive with the sound of music

Horseshoe crab – the living fossil on brink of extinction

Older than dinosaurs, horseshoe crabs are the true blue-blooded folks of the blue planet.  Until a few years ago, these ancient mariners sunning on wave-tossed sandy beaches of Odisha and West Bengal presented a common sight— as if simulating a sombre shoreline scene of helmets of fallen soldiers from a war movie.  But such sightings… Continue reading Horseshoe crab – the living fossil on brink of extinction

Tribal women stitch a new future in Gujarat’s Dang

The issue of economic empowerment of tribal communities has gained significance in recent years due to the several challenges they face, especially when it comes to livelihood.  Dang district in Gujarat has 98 percent tribal population. Their primary occupation is agriculture. With increase in household size and fragmented land holding, farming has been turning into… Continue reading Tribal women stitch a new future in Gujarat’s Dang

All that glitters in Antia village is indeed gold

Women of Antia village of Jajpur district in Odisha have struck a gold mine in the unlikeliest of places. The kaincha grass (Vetiveria zizanioides) grows abundantly in the marshy lands and riverbeds of Jajpur. This wild reed may appear to be a pest at first glance but it is instrumental in providing a sustainable source… Continue reading All that glitters in Antia village is indeed gold

Garden in Thar desert stays green despite climate crisis

Sand Dunes are western Rajasthan’s essential iconographies. They capture the courage of people living here for aeons under the harshness of the summer sun. They also make the Thar magical in winter. In the vastness of this undulating desert, anything green such as a tree is rare. But Jaisalmer’s Bada Bagh – dotted with giant… Continue reading Garden in Thar desert stays green despite climate crisis

The warm homespun blanket of Gaddi tribe is going cold

Rekha Devi’s ancestors roamed the mountains and meadows of the Dhauladhar range in the Himalayas for centuries – trusting their handwoven “gardu” blanket to keep them warm as they moved in search of greener pastures for their goats and sheep.  The Gaddi tribe of 50-year-old Rekha Devi had long abandoned its semi-nomadic and pastoral life,… Continue reading The warm homespun blanket of Gaddi tribe is going cold

‘Waste dumping in open has increased human-wildlife conflict’

Village Square: How much damage has tourism caused to the environment in the Himalayan region? Vishal Kumar: It is huge. Tourism has boomed phenomenally in the region over the last few years. More new tourist destinations and stay options have sprung up across the region.  They are not concentrated in one spot. This has brought… Continue reading ‘Waste dumping in open has increased human-wildlife conflict’

Assam villagers dread wrath of ravaging river

Disku Payeng is going through each passing day with bated breath, much like every resident of Kalakhowa village. In a few days, the monsoon will arrive, bringing along with it the wrath of the Subansiri river. The entire village, located about 5km from the district headquarters of North Lakhimpur,  will be submerged in 3-4 feet… Continue reading Assam villagers dread wrath of ravaging river

Nature’s gifts to Tamil Nadu temple town

The grasshopper may have a high degree of camouflage that often makes it go unnoticed, but it plays an important role in the ecosystem. Insects like grasshoppers form a major part of the diet of many birds. The Indian roller, with feathers in bright shades that appear fully blue in flight, is a common sight… Continue reading Nature’s gifts to Tamil Nadu temple town

What palmyra palm means to Andhra

In a village in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, men lift a covering made of dried palm leaves used to protect paddy stored inside a circular bamboo container. Also Read | Why farmers in Mizoram quit oil palm cultivation A woman weaves a bamboo basket using palm leaf stem for binding to give it durability. Also Read… Continue reading What palmyra palm means to Andhra

Punjab women weave ‘rug’ to riches story

In 2004, Kiran Grewal started her label Balwaar, named after the village in district Sangrur in Punjab,  when she was experimenting with crochet products like throws for an exhibition. However, the plunge into weaving happened in 2017, when Grewal and two of her friends, Sangeeta Sen and Priya Singh, decided to start a pilot project… Continue reading Punjab women weave ‘rug’ to riches story

Udaipur’s specially-abled cyclist is unstoppable

Govind Kharol’s incredible journey defies societal barriers as he pursues his dream of becoming a cyclist, exemplifying the indomitable spirit of human endeavour rarely witnessed. Despite having only two fingers in his partially developed left hand and being born without a right hand, Kharol defied the odds and learned how to cycle. With an infectious… Continue reading Udaipur’s specially-abled cyclist is unstoppable

Bicycling through rural India

Couples on their way back home after work at Pisawan village in Uttar Pradesh. (Photo by Vinay Gupta) Two children cycle back carrying loads of scrap coal that they collected over an entire afternoon at Joda in Kendujhar district of Odisha. (Photo by Subham Parida) Another day at school ends for these two children in… Continue reading Bicycling through rural India

The ‘queen’ of king chillies in Assam

Jornali Saikia Hazarika shares an interesting myth about the ‘king chilli’, also called by other suitable monikers such as Naga chilli and bhoot jolokia – which translates as ghost chilli.   “If you eat one whole bhoot jolokia, you will start seeing ghosts, and hence the name for the chilli,” Hazarika said. A resident of Moilapung,… Continue reading The ‘queen’ of king chillies in Assam

Turtuk villagers piece together their broken pasts

Nestled amid the Karakoram and the Himalaya ranges, Turtuk valley is situated close to the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan, about 200 km from Leh town in the Union Territory of Ladakh. On 16 December 1971, Turtuk became a part of India after the Indian Army captured it during the Bangladesh Liberation… Continue reading Turtuk villagers piece together their broken pasts

Small-town lesbian couple await same-sex court ruling

Shalu and Mehak have their wedding plans ready: from how many people to invite and who to invite to even the colour of the lehengas they would wear on the occasion. But their plans are on hold for now. The Supreme Court of India is seized on the issue of legalising same-sex marriage, and the… Continue reading Small-town lesbian couple await same-sex court ruling

What’s curdling the milk in Uttarakhand?

A milk collection point for four hillside villages in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district serves more than its intended purpose. It’s a haunt where villagers of Reetha, Odakhan, Meora and Nathuakhan gather and put the world to rights while emptying their milk cans into containers of the Uttarakhand Cooperative Dairy Federation (UCDF). The day’s collection fills up… Continue reading What’s curdling the milk in Uttarakhand?

Odisha women earn lakhs by cooking patua from veggie peels 

Vegetable peels are providing a means of livelihood to rural women of Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts in Odisha. They use the skin of bananas and vegetables like banana, potato, ridge gourd or bottle gourd to prepare a local traditional delicacy called patua. To make this dish, the peels are mixed with mustard seeds, almonds, garlic,… Continue reading Odisha women earn lakhs by cooking patua from veggie peels