Mizoram’s soccer-struck footballers are on the ball

Homemaker Fancy Khawlhring walks almost every day through roads meandering up and down from her home to a football field, chaperoning her seven-year-old son, Lorrain Ralte. It’s a routine that many young Mizo mothers follow, and they are often seen carrying bags stuffed with jerseys, shorts, cleated shoes and striped socks of their sons and… Continue reading Mizoram’s soccer-struck footballers are on the ball

How corporate volunteering can bring positive social change

Volunteerism has been at the forefront for the last two decades and is now a priority for the younger generation workforce that seeks to support causes that can bring positive social change. In this direction, India@75 Foundation, a CII initiative, has been working for a decade to build and institutionalise volunteerism, with a significant focus… Continue reading How corporate volunteering can bring positive social change

Get weather predictions at Jharkhand’s Sarhul festival

Trigger warning: The article mentions animal sacrifice in detail. On the rusa, the first day of Sarhul, a pahan fills water in a pot from the holy spring and keeps it in the akhra – a spot where all important tribal events take place. People go to the forests to collect sarai (Shorea robusta) flowers,… Continue reading Get weather predictions at Jharkhand’s Sarhul festival

A juicy outcome for Maharashtra mango farmers

For fruit lovers in India, April to June are great months. It is the mango season, a time to gorge on the fruit lovingly called the “king”, although “aam” (the Hindi term for mango) also means “common”.  Many Indians eat mangoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner during its short season — simply sliced or sucking… Continue reading A juicy outcome for Maharashtra mango farmers

The many gains of a farm pond

Consistently low rainfall in Surendranagar, Gujarat, means agony for Jayaben — she cannot irrigate even one bigha of her land to meet her daily needs or quench the thirst of her cattle. Jayaben, a farmer in Sonpari village, owns ten bighas of land. She along with her husband depend solely on agriculture for their livelihood. … Continue reading The many gains of a farm pond

Mizo singer’s journey from local church to Padma Shri

KC Runremsangi of Mizoram, who received the Padma Shri this year in the folk music category traces her musical journey that won her the award – in her own words. The feeling of being chosen for the prestigious Padma Shri award is yet to sink in.  I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard the… Continue reading Mizo singer’s journey from local church to Padma Shri

Woman forest guide at forefront of Ranthambore tours

Suraj Bai Meena overcame opposition and jibes from her family, the other members of her tribal community and her colleagues when she decided to work as a forest guide at Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan. She narrates how she charted her own path on the difficult terrain – in her own words. Last year on… Continue reading Woman forest guide at forefront of Ranthambore tours

Kerala’s Kannadippaya bamboo mat and the quest for identity

Think bamboo mat, and the Japanese tatami rolls out in the blink of an eye. That’s the power of popularity, ubiquity and publicity. But the lesser-known Kannadippaya mat woven by tribes-folks of the Western Ghats range in Kerala more than meets the eye – mirroring itself in a tessellation of geometric squares and tensile enough… Continue reading Kerala’s Kannadippaya bamboo mat and the quest for identity

Cool to be kind

From contests, quizzes to fashion displays… There is a lot happening at Kaizen – the kindness festival being organised by the IIT-Delhi chapter of the National Service Scheme (NSS) until April 2. The gathering of sociocultural enthusiasts at the IIT-Delhi campus brings a wide gamut of information and insights to the table.  While workshops and… Continue reading Cool to be kind

Billionaire overnight: Woman finds gold under village land

Rukmini Devi was taking her afternoon nap under a tree outside her house when a bird dropped something on her forehead. What she initially thought was poo, turned out to be none other than a piece of gold.  “I couldn’t believe it. I was holding almost 2 grams of gold that fell on me like… Continue reading Billionaire overnight: Woman finds gold under village land

The state of cattle bell makers of Jharkhand

Baraon village in the Palamu district of Jharkhand is famous for making cattle bells. The blacksmith has been making bells for generations. The bells are made of old/used iron drums. The drums are first cleaned and made into sheets. Then, the sheets are cut according to the requirement, that is, of small size for smaller… Continue reading The state of cattle bell makers of Jharkhand

Maharashtra villages lead the way in widow reforms

During a three-day national workshop titled ‘Child and Women Friendly Gram Panchayat’, organised by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the government of Odisha in February in Bhubaneswar, newly-elected Herwad village sarpanch Rekha Jadhav presented the success story of her village in leading the widow reforms movement in Maharashtra. She was accompanied by the village… Continue reading Maharashtra villages lead the way in widow reforms

Die cast for vanishing cowbells of Jharkhand

A chorus of clangs and bangs rings out of a village blacksmith’s modest cob house in Jharkhand’s Palamu district as each member of the family hammers away on their work. The clangorous noise is so unlike the tinkle of the cowbells they are making. Tuesdays are the busiest day for the family of five as… Continue reading Die cast for vanishing cowbells of Jharkhand

Bridal jewellery made with dried palm leaf?

The quaint village of Vedanthavadi, about 200 km southwest of Chennai, is a place of rice fields lined with tall coconut and Palmyra palms, meandering country roads, singular cottages, rock-solid peasants and earthy food.  In this farming community lives a young and gifted couple – T. Karthikeyan, 35, and his wife K. Neelaveni, 32 –… Continue reading Bridal jewellery made with dried palm leaf?

FTLO art, visit this West Bengal village

Tucked away in the deep woods of Jungle Mahals, about 180 km west of Kolkata, the sleepy hamlet of Khoabgaon is living its dream, or “khoab”.  This tiny but big-hearted “village of dreams” of the Lodha tribe has quietly painted out its sepia-toned existence with a blast of vivid colours. Every house has outdoor murals… Continue reading FTLO art, visit this West Bengal village

Heritage drink feni high in Goa, falls flat abroad

Goa boasts of quaint Portuguese colonial charm, sun-kissed beaches, great seafood and beer. But it’s feni that brings about an epiphany because no other drink catches the Goan spirit of “susegad” as much as this hyper-local beverage does.  Susegad is a colonial hangover of living life in laidback contentment, as much as the cashew introduced… Continue reading Heritage drink feni high in Goa, falls flat abroad

Kenbo motorbikes of Chinese make riding high in Manipur despite ban

With limited horsepower and speed of no more than 80 kilometres per hour, China-made Kenbo125 motorbikes may appear to be toys compared to the more established and better-known motorcycles in the market. Yet they have revved up a furore in parts of Manipur like no other. Every other day, Kenbo125 finds mention in local newspapers.… Continue reading Kenbo motorbikes of Chinese make riding high in Manipur despite ban

Fin following: Gaga over golden mahseer

When the sun gilds the Uttarakhand Himalayas, the morning rays ricochet from the silver, gold and reddish-yellow scales of the mahseer that can be spotted when the fish migrates upstream from the Ganga close to Devprayag into the Nayar river to spawn. The sight leaves little doubt about what captivated locals and anglers alike to… Continue reading Fin following: Gaga over golden mahseer

Immerse yourself in a sea of tulips this summer

Spring has sprung in Kashmir. The bleak black and white of winter has given way to a burst of colours – and the place to be now to behold a mood-altering spectacle is Asia’s largest tulip garden in the foothills of the Zabarwan mountains overlooking the Dal Lake in Srinagar.  There is no stopping flowers… Continue reading Immerse yourself in a sea of tulips this summer

She sowed seeds of a grain bank to feed the poor

The marginalised families of Bedada village in Narmada district of Gujarat have to face many problems, the biggest one perhaps being lack of sufficient resources to purchase rations. Malnutrition is a huge problem in this region, especially in Bedada. There are many families unable to consume three meals a day. They survive on just roti… Continue reading She sowed seeds of a grain bank to feed the poor