“With the Bhil Pithora art, I let my creativity run free”

Bhil Pithora artist Shanta Bhuriya of Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh talks about her life as an artist – in her own words.  The unique feature of the Bhil Pithora art is the use of small dots to depict anything one wishes to portray.  I let my creativity run free while initially drawing with pencil.  Whenever I… Continue reading “With the Bhil Pithora art, I let my creativity run free”

India’s rural youth show high interest in entrepreneurship, finds survey

Seema Yadav, 22, a rickshaw driver who lost everything to Covid, is now getting back on her feet, after she received a loan of Rs 1 lakh. She wants to be an inspiration for other rural women entrepreneurs like her. What do the many young, first generation rural business owners like her aspire? What are… Continue reading India’s rural youth show high interest in entrepreneurship, finds survey

Survey shows what downtime in rural India is really like

Hopscotch, kho-kho, pithu, hide-and-seek. Do you remember any of these? Oh, these were a few of the games many of us played outdoors with friends and neighbours after school. But as we grew up and had access to smartphones, most of our downtime has been spent online. Well, blurring the distinction between urban and rural… Continue reading Survey shows what downtime in rural India is really like

How Manipur’s rural women are weaving wonders from Kauna weed

M. Romita Devi crafts and sells popular products made of a weed that grows abundantly in the marshes and rice fields girdling her village in the north-eastern state of Manipur. A what? A weed. But let’s not fault the autocorrect brain for mistaking the kauna grass for what the W-word means on the streets. This… Continue reading How Manipur’s rural women are weaving wonders from Kauna weed

“Instead of succumbing to miseries, I took charge of my life and SHGs helped me”

Sukari Nag of Neganar village in Bastar, Chhattisgarh recounts the story of her life – in her own words. Childhood is supposed to be colourful and joyous. But mine was extremely different. When I was eight years old, my father was killed due to a land dispute. We were five girls and I was the… Continue reading “Instead of succumbing to miseries, I took charge of my life and SHGs helped me”

Want bumper paddy harvest? Breed fish, say Bihar farmers

Surrounded by lush green paddy crops heavily laden with golden grains glistening in the sun, Parikshan Sao happily announced that fish were the reason for his healthy plants and not any chemical fertiliser. If that was confusing, he clarified that he uses water from his fish ponds to irrigate the paddy crops. “I owe the… Continue reading Want bumper paddy harvest? Breed fish, say Bihar farmers

How rural Rajasthani women break social shackles to earn freedom, respect from Africa tours

Baby Rajput always looked up whenever a plane flew overhead while she tended her crops in Gopalpura village of Rajasthan’s Dholpur district.  She often wondered what it would be like to fly—as high as the planes and as freely as the birds.  Her fascination with flight was perhaps her pressure-release valve, a much-needed tool in… Continue reading How rural Rajasthani women break social shackles to earn freedom, respect from Africa tours

“You’re a girl. How can you go out in a sports outfit?”

I guess I was always inclined towards sports, says Bilquis Mir, the first female water sports professional from the Kashmir valley.  When I was around 12 years, I wanted to become a boxer. Because I watched my male cousins at home practise and sometimes I tried the same punches. But the elders in my family… Continue reading “You’re a girl. How can you go out in a sports outfit?”

A seed bombing eco-guerrilla wages war for green cover in rural Odisha

He could be on the list of most-wanted guerrilla warriors if “bombing” barren land to sow seeds of green is ever labelled an extremist transgression.  Freelance journalist and self-trained ecologist Subranshu Satpathy has more than 100,000 “bombings” under his belt, a feat achieved over 13 years.  Satpathy, from the Dhenkanal district of Odisha, began his… Continue reading A seed bombing eco-guerrilla wages war for green cover in rural Odisha

Once a ‘burden’, double-humped camel is a prized animal in Ladakh today

Fourteen years ago, a 56-year-old  villager from the remote region of Nubra in Ladakh gave all his four double-humped camels but one to a distant relative for the lack of resources to feed them. Now, Mohammad Ibrahim, 32-year-old, the son of the same villager keeps a troupe of eight camels to run a successful tourist… Continue reading Once a ‘burden’, double-humped camel is a prized animal in Ladakh today

Rural Storytelling Festival

Rural Media Fellowship (10th November) Youth Hub launched ‘The Rural Media Fellowship Program ‘ on November 10, 2022. A cohort of 10 budding journalists recruited by from across the country began a 9-month fellowship to focus on rural stories. Vinay Kumar, Director Youth-Hub welcomed the fellows to the program and hoped that they will have… Continue reading Rural Storytelling Festival

Downtime in Rural India – photo competition winners announced!

It’s result time, folks – the moment we have all been eagerly waiting for – the winners of our second annual Village Vibe photo competition. This year we wanted to see how rural India rests and relaxes, parties and has fun with our theme Downtime In Rural India – How Rural India Relaxes. Across five… Continue reading Downtime in Rural India – photo competition winners announced!

How these creches in Odisha help tribal mothers work in peace

Every day at 7:30 am Majewari Wadaka, a 40-year-old tribal woman, drops her youngest daughter at a creche before venturing into the forest along with her husband to forage for fruits of the forest. Her three-year-old daughter, Guddi, who refused to leave her side earlier has now made friends with other tribal children at this… Continue reading How these creches in Odisha help tribal mothers work in peace

Jharkhand’s tribal women make natural cups and bowls but find no takers

If an in-your-face, true-to-life dental care product commercial is ever made, the toothy grin of Salchariya Devi could sell a million toothbrushes.  But reality tends to be red in tooth and claw.  The 68-year-old Khairwar tribal woman sells sal-leaf cups and bowls called dona and twigs called datoon in bundles of ten under the shade… Continue reading Jharkhand’s tribal women make natural cups and bowls but find no takers

‘Super Figs’: Why figs from Western Ghats hills in Pune are high in demand

At six in the morning award-winning farmer Samil Ingale hurries out, carrying the freshly picked fruits of his labour to the Purandar Highlands Farmers Producers Company (PHFPC) collection centre in Pune.  Speed is crucial for the survival of his crates of figs that he grows on a sprawling orchard in Singhapur village.  It’s not hard… Continue reading ‘Super Figs’: Why figs from Western Ghats hills in Pune are high in demand

City of light celebrates Dev Deepawali

One of the attractions of  Benaras is riding a ferry into the deep water of the Ganges and witnessing Anjoura-e-Benaras (which symbolises the morning magic one witnesses over the Ganges where no two mornings are similar in hues or experience) (Photo by Swati Singh Chauhan)  Benaras is full of pilgrims and tourists to mark Kartik… Continue reading City of light celebrates Dev Deepawali

Why this woman in Odisha is called a traditional seed guardian

I live in Burlubaru, a hilltop village. These hills were once blessed with dense sal forests. We lost the gigantic sal trees to the timber mafia. And we hardly see the wild animals that abounded before.  Everyone in this village belongs to the Kutia Kondh community. We practise rainfed farming, growing most of our own… Continue reading Why this woman in Odisha is called a traditional seed guardian

For women in Ayodhya, becoming micro-entrepreneurs is not just about money

A single empowered woman can change her destiny, but a collective of women can transform a community. All they need is just a helping hand, as I have observed. Women in rural Uttar Pradesh – like in many other parts of the country – do not have a voice in social decision-making processes. A corporate… Continue reading For women in Ayodhya, becoming micro-entrepreneurs is not just about money

Manipur’s uncommon ‘salt of the earth’ and the threat to its legacy

K. Binoy Singh of Ningel village in the north-eastern state of Manipur has salt in his blood.  Like his forefathers before him, he has poured his blood and sweat into a revered craft of the Meitei people that many believe was taught in a divine apprenticeship.  Gods descended on earth to teach mortals how to… Continue reading Manipur’s uncommon ‘salt of the earth’ and the threat to its legacy