Breaking biases, building bonds

A three-day visit. A lot of stereotypes shattered. The image of an “NGO worker” wearing a khadi kurta and carrying a jhola, for one. That rural women are meek observers of village activities, for another. For the 120 scholars of the Vedica Scholars Programme for Women, a brief ‘rural immersion’ visit to the Pradan campus… Continue reading Breaking biases, building bonds

Women’s Day: These rural women refuse to give up

Palirani Shahoo is a well-respected guide and mentor on vegetable farming and entrepreneurship in her small West Bengal village. She is the focal point when it comes to making digital information accessible for the women there or resolving queries on WhatsApp groups through the help of experts. But it wasn’t an easy beginning.  Shahoo, who… Continue reading Women’s Day: These rural women refuse to give up

Punjab’s tumbi set to stage comeback and tug hearts

The next time a new movie of the immensely popular Punjabi actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh releases, watch out for the melodious sound from the high-pitched single-string plucking instrument called the tumbi. Synonymous with Punjabi folk songs in earlier times, the tumbi had fallen on bad times and somewhat gone out of fashion. But things are about… Continue reading Punjab’s tumbi set to stage comeback and tug hearts

Kashmiri couture trends globally

Some wardrobes malfunction with the change of seasons, but Kashmiris know their gender-neutral “pheran” will stay with them through thick or thin, like it has for centuries—winter, summer, anytime.  Pheran? Yes. To the unpractised eye, it could pass off as an ill-fitting roomy robe. But if clothes reflect people’s cultural identity, heritage and way of… Continue reading Kashmiri couture trends globally

Will this stag party again?

The set of long, pointed and branched antlers adorning a wall in her house evokes bittersweet emotions in Khushboo, a teen living in the small village of Harwan in Srinagar of Kashmir. They are the antlers of a hangul, the Kashmir stag that’s endangered now.  The antlers have been in her family for generations, though… Continue reading Will this stag party again?

‘Only about 100 great Indian bustards remain now’

Village Square: How did your journey into wildlife conservation begin? Radheshyam Bishnoi: My community was the first source of inspiration for me. I belong to the Bishnoi community which considers nature and wildlife conservation an integral part of its faith. In fact, animals and plants are seen as an extension of us.  India’s famous Chipko… Continue reading ‘Only about 100 great Indian bustards remain now’

‘Wildlife conservation isn’t anti-development’

Village Square: What are the major challenges to wildlife conservation in India? Samir Kumar Sinha: The challenges vary from one ecosystem to another. They are even different at the local and national levels. The real challenge is acknowledging these challenges at the right time and space and in the right spirit.  I find that these… Continue reading ‘Wildlife conservation isn’t anti-development’

What’s it like to run on a frozen lake?

Rugged hills cutting right through the centre of a bright aqua expanse, dividing the skies above and the clear waters below into two azure halves – that’s the image that comes to mind when the Pangong Lake is mentioned. Yes, as pretty as picture postcards can get. Replace the blue waters with a white snowy… Continue reading What’s it like to run on a frozen lake?

Kashmir’s kani shawl weavers feel left out in cold

Sajad Mir is weaving a shawl he started seven months ago. He says it will take him a couple of more weeks to complete it.  Sajid and his brother run a loom where they, along with some other young men of the Kanihama village in Kashmir, weave special kani shawls by hand the entire day.… Continue reading Kashmir’s kani shawl weavers feel left out in cold

Assamese monks on mission to save rare culture and language

As native communities around the world stare at the decline of their local language and script, here is one group of people trying to bring their mother tongue back from the brink of extinction. The Tai Phake community of around 2,000 individuals spread over nine villages in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts of Assam realised the… Continue reading Assamese monks on mission to save rare culture and language

Brakes on boredom: Karnataka’s bus stop libraries

Waiting for a bus may not be boring any longer in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. Once at a bus stand, waiting for a public carrier that somehow takes inordinately long to turn up and pick you up, one now has company in the shape of books.  Across the district, some 267 bus stops now… Continue reading Brakes on boredom: Karnataka’s bus stop libraries

Here’s why you should add Kashmiri nadru to your menu

The sun has barely yawned out of the snowy cliffs, but men on small boats are busy stabbing the windswept water of the Dal Lake in Srinagar with long poles. What are they up to in this cold when everyone else is snug at home, sleeping in slothful stupor like the lotus-eating Lotophagi islanders that… Continue reading Here’s why you should add Kashmiri nadru to your menu

Why Kashmiris love to spin a yarn

The wheel of fortune turned full circle for a Kashmiri single mother of two when a timeworn and time-intensive spinning machine that she had thrown away nine years ago returned to her home in a new avatar and brought renewed hope of financial stability.  The redesigned spinning wheel that works by a foot pedal to… Continue reading Why Kashmiris love to spin a yarn

Celebrating Sant Janabai through Dhrupad and Bharatanatyam

Like most traditional Indian homes, stories of illustrious figures of the past – of famous saints and local seers – constitute a major chunk of the tales that grannies narrate to the little ones in Maharashtrian households.  The stories also figure in formal gatherings such as bhajan performances and theatre shows. Sant Janabai’s life is… Continue reading Celebrating Sant Janabai through Dhrupad and Bharatanatyam

In Kashmir’s ‘Antarctica’

The Ferozpora water stream in Kashmir may look like a burst of silver sparkling in the balmy sun, but the boulders covered in snow show how far south the mercury drops here in Tangmarg. Yes, underneath this cottony blanket sleep solid rocks. No wonder the landscape looks so dreamy. (Photo by Nasir Yousufi) In North… Continue reading In Kashmir’s ‘Antarctica’

Nalsarovar: The lake of opportunity for Maldhari pastoralists

It is the largest wetland sanctuary in Gujarat and one of the biggest in India, hosting flocks of indigenous and migratory birds throughout the year.  It is also a popular picnic spot for tourists and city dwellers.  And as the waters quietly run in the Nalsarovar lake, the site also sustains the livelihood of a… Continue reading Nalsarovar: The lake of opportunity for Maldhari pastoralists

Real life Dangal: All I see is an Olympics gold

Hansaben Rathore – aka Mahi – of Depalpur in Madhya Pradesh talks of her foray into wrestling and the personal sacrifices she has to make to succeed, in her own words. I was born in Depalpur, a small town in Madhya Pradesh.  Our family has a long-standing love for wrestling – starting from our grandfather,… Continue reading Real life Dangal: All I see is an Olympics gold

What’s a tiger reserve without a safari?

Deep in the forests of Buxa tiger reserve in north Bengal’s Dooars, a bone-jarring drive along a rough track with switchbacks – frequented more by wildlife than by cars – leads to the small village of Raimatang where time appears to have stood still. Nature shows up in its pure, resplendent form in these foothills… Continue reading What’s a tiger reserve without a safari?

The Kolhapur rice tipping the scale one grain at a time

Whenever Health Policy Researcher Sunil Nandraj and his wife Usha, an Information System Specialist leave Maharashtra and head to Goa, there is one pitstop they always make.  Following their nose, and taste buds, the couple loves to swing by one of the villages of Ajara taluka of the Amboli ghat every time they drive down… Continue reading The Kolhapur rice tipping the scale one grain at a time