Bhapa pitha: The Bengali rural delicacy for winter mornings

Siuli Modak wakes up early to make bhapa pitha.  And by early, we’re talking 2am.  Because the 35-year-old needs a lot of time to get the bhapa pitha rice batter ready and head to her stall in Bhatanjot village on the outskirts of Siliguri. There she steams the breakfast cake fresh for her hungry patrons… Continue reading Bhapa pitha: The Bengali rural delicacy for winter mornings

Hockey popularity prompts Odisha children to wield sticks

Odisha in eastern India is considered the cradle of Indian hockey. The state – though still bracketed as an impoverished region with high unemployment and runaway migration – is the official sponsor of the Indian hockey team. The state has also captured everyone’s imagination by hosting two editions of the hockey World Cup – the… Continue reading Hockey popularity prompts Odisha children to wield sticks

“Tears of joy rolled down my cheeks as I received the award”

15th August 2022 – India’s 75th Independence Day was being celebrated at Keonjhar town in Odisha with great pomp. At least 300 people had gathered for the occasion. The air filled with claps. Everyone was cheering for me – Damayanti Nayak. Tears of joy rolled down my cheeks as I received the ‘Adarsh Chasi Award’… Continue reading “Tears of joy rolled down my cheeks as I received the award”

The sweet success of a tea plucker-turned-dragon fruit farmer

Abha Toppo, 48, of Barajharujote village in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal recalls her journey from a pitifully paid tea garden labourer to a successful dragon fruit farmer. Read her story in her own words. I was born in a poor family. My father was a small farmer in a remote village in Jharkhand’s… Continue reading The sweet success of a tea plucker-turned-dragon fruit farmer

She quits her media job to educate children

Arpna Chandail recalls her journey of quitting her job as a television producer and returning to her village, Shiva, in Doda district of Jammu & Kashmir – in her own words.  I’d been working with a Hindi news channel as a producer when I was bitten by the bug to help children learn. I began… Continue reading She quits her media job to educate children

Meet 82-year-old Wani, who runs Kashmir’s last traditional oil mill

Inside an old single-room cottage made of mud and timber with a roof of tin sheets patched together, Ghulam Mohammad Wani guides a rotating log beam. The oil-daubed beam crushes several kilos of mustard grains to wring out an oily amber liquid. At 82, Wani is the sole custodian of a dying Kashmiri craft and… Continue reading Meet 82-year-old Wani, who runs Kashmir’s last traditional oil mill

Death on the tail of migratory birds in Kashmir

Birdsongs in the backyard wake up 12-year-old Farwah in her home on the shores of Hokersar wetlands in central Kashmir. She gingerly opens her bedroom window, catches the January morning draught in her face, and looks out to confirm the source of the sounds coming through it. Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Brahminy Duck, Gargantuan, Greylag Goose,… Continue reading Death on the tail of migratory birds in Kashmir

SFURTI: Helping farmers to become artisans with a novel scheme

Agriculture and allied sectors employ more than 45% of the total Indian workforce. The problem with these activities is that they are cyclical and depend on the frequency of rain and other externalities.  SFURTI (Scheme of Funds for Regeneration of Traditional Industries) is an initiative by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME),… Continue reading SFURTI: Helping farmers to become artisans with a novel scheme

Enterprising women: Stories of inspiring micro-entrepreneurs in Maharashtra

Suman Gaikwad, Sakhubai Lokhande, Vanita Pise — three women of different ages but from the same dry and dusty village of Maharashtra, Mhaswad, which is around 150 km from the district headquarters of Satara.  Another factor that unites them is that – despite living in a drought-prone region with very few resources – they are… Continue reading Enterprising women: Stories of inspiring micro-entrepreneurs in Maharashtra

Menstruation is Natural. Period.

Back in 2019, while educating Project Aarogya’s first cohort of women in the infamous Shastri Park slums of Delhi, we identified our first ever entrepreneur – Ganga didi. A woman of steel, as we like to call her, she had spent most of her life with no access to a toilet let alone sanitary napkins.… Continue reading Menstruation is Natural. Period.

Photo essay: Sowing seeds of festivity in Manipur

The Luira Phanit festival of the Tangkhuls marks the beginning of the annual seed-sowing. Luira has its origin in two Tangkhul words. Lui means field and ra means dig. The word phanit means festival. Celebrated either during the last week of January or in the early weeks of February, it is the most important and… Continue reading Photo essay: Sowing seeds of festivity in Manipur

How joint farming in Punjab is allowing Dalits to rewrite their destiny

Dalit families of Batriana village in Sangrur district of Punjab have taken charge of their own destinies. Unlike in the past when they helplessly watched rich landowners cultivate the ‘common land’ reserved for Scheduled Castes, using them as mere proxies, Dalits are cultivating what legally belongs to them, and also making handsome profits. Under the… Continue reading How joint farming in Punjab is allowing Dalits to rewrite their destiny

Sohrai: A tribal festival celebrating cattles and nature

Sohrai, also called cattle festival, is an important celebration for the tribal communities in Jharkhand. People  pray for their cattle which are integral to their household and livelihood. During the six day celebration women wear new clothes and beautiful tribal ornaments. Men and women go around the village singing, dancing and celebrating Sohari. Also Read… Continue reading Sohrai: A tribal festival celebrating cattles and nature

Kangri, the secret to Kashmiri warmth, and the risk around it

Winter brings with it a familiar sight in the snowed-out valleys and mountains of Kashmir.  Men and women emerge bundled with what looks like a wicker basket, often tucked into their clothes, but what is really the secret to their warmth: their own personal fire pots, called kangri. It used to be a ubiquitous site… Continue reading Kangri, the secret to Kashmiri warmth, and the risk around it

Everyday struggles of a widow in Punjab

Kulwinder Kaur, 38, of Pathan Nangal village in Amritsar district of Punjab, talks about her life after losing her husband – in her own words. I was married at a very young age. And you’ll never be able to guess why. A Mazhabi Sikh – a Dalit like us – and an upper caste Jat… Continue reading Everyday struggles of a widow in Punjab

Kashmiri harissa: From posh grub to comfort food

In the remote village of Shikargarh in the foothills of the Tral mountains in southern Kashmir, Fazil Ahmad waits impatiently for the delivery boy from a local takeaway he had found on Instagram.  The 23-year-old had invited a bunch of friends for lunch and ordered an all-time cold-clime favourite. His guests were in, but the… Continue reading Kashmiri harissa: From posh grub to comfort food

Amul’s camel milk a lifeline to depleting Kharai camel herders in Gujarat’s Kutch

In the coastal area of Gujarat camels are still being used for both agriculture and transportation. Kutch, which makes up 25.29% of the state’s total area and is located in the westernmost region of India, borders Rajasthan and Pakistan. The area’s topography is distinctive in that it is cut off from the rest of the… Continue reading Amul’s camel milk a lifeline to depleting Kharai camel herders in Gujarat’s Kutch

Community classrooms sow hope among Van Gujjar children

“I had never seen a classroom in my entire life until last year,” Imran said with a gleam in his eyes. “Just four years ago, had anybody asked me to write my name, I would not have been able to. But now I teach the children of my community,” he joyfully added.   Imran’s tryst with… Continue reading Community classrooms sow hope among Van Gujjar children

Why a road is a roadblock for Bonda Tribes in Odisha

At 5,000 feet above sea level and sitting atop a hill in the remote Malkangiri district in Odisha, Andrahal gram panchayat finds itself plagued by a particularly persistent problem. Like everywhere else, the government provides Andrahal residents financial assistance under housing schemes to build pucca houses. But in practice, none is willing to build a… Continue reading Why a road is a roadblock for Bonda Tribes in Odisha