When people in Delhi, Mumbai or other metropolitan cities talk about “the need to bring marginalized people into the mainstream,” I always wonder who they are talking about. Actually, people living in big cities, like me, are the ones who need to look back and see that they are on the margins as most of… Continue reading Reverse dowry – empowering or subjugation?
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Do “reel villages” in cinema show real rural India?
Remember Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, the Kajol-Shah Rukh starrer of 1995? Yes, the film that showed us London and Switzerland in great measure. Contrast that with Panchayat, the popular web series that started streaming in 2020. It shows us the fictitious Phulera village, shot in Mahodiya village in Madhya Pradesh. Is there a connection? Quite… Continue reading Do “reel villages” in cinema show real rural India?
Food security improved by women’s groups in MP
There is happiness on the faces of the Public Distribution System (PDS) beneficiaries. “They brought a fair price shop (FPS) to our village. Earlier, we used to travel 5 kms to purchase our food grains”, said a beneficiary interviewed at Ganpur and Bidpura villages of the Dhar district. Self help groups (SHGs) improving access to… Continue reading Food security improved by women’s groups in MP
Cycling 1400 km to get 1000 rural investors
Village Square: You’re a man on a ‘Mor Mitti’ mission, aren’t you? Tell us about ‘Parichay Yatra’ – your 1400 kms cycle journey you’re undertaking. Biswa: ‘Parichay’ stands for introduction. Now that we’ve established Mor Mitti in Simdega, we are on a mission to introduce it to the world. It’s not just Mor Mitti either… Continue reading Cycling 1400 km to get 1000 rural investors
Odisha villagers fight fire ant invasion
Snehlata Dash has always loved the serene and peaceful surroundings of her village, Brahmansahi. The 75-year-old widow had hardly stepped outside her village since she got married over four decades ago. But in the middle of August she had to flee her Brahmansahi and rush to her married daughter’s house. All because of some tiny… Continue reading Odisha villagers fight fire ant invasion
Odisha villagers fight fire ant invasion
Snehlata Dash has always loved the serene and peaceful surroundings of her village, Brahmansahi. The 75-year-old widow had hardly stepped outside her village since she got married over four decades ago. But in the middle of August she had to flee her Brahmansahi and rush to her married daughter’s house. All because of some tiny… Continue reading Odisha villagers fight fire ant invasion
Surprising findings on India’s food habits
In a sure sign of development, India has shifted from worrying about food security to worrying about nutrition security – ensuring its people get a richer, more varied diet. Simply put, a more diverse diet means more nutrition, more nutrition means healthier people, a healthier population helps create a healthier economy, which means a stronger,… Continue reading Surprising findings on India’s food habits
Helping marginalised kids go to university
I met Ningamma when I was teaching students at the government school in Chikkabidarakallu. I prepared her and 20 other students to sit for the 8th Standard National Means cum Merit Scholarship (NMMS) exam back in November 2020. Ningamma passed the exam with flying colours, scoring 107 out of 180 – the highest of all… Continue reading Helping marginalised kids go to university
Tribal girl goes from athlete to village leader
I was a young tribal girl in a naxal-infested area of Maharashtra – Koti village of the Gadchiroli district. My father was a school teacher and the only earning member in my family. Of course he could afford the education of my elder brother only. So I studied in an ashram school meant for the… Continue reading Tribal girl goes from athlete to village leader
Famed Kashmiri carpets knotted for new parliament
On a cloudy evening, 33-year-old carpet maker Abdul Rahim Khan was busy helping his wife milk their cow when he received a call from one of his carpet dealers who needed to meet him immediately. Sensing his urgency, the young artisan of Shunglipora village in central Kashmir’s Budgam district hastily walked two kilometres to the… Continue reading Famed Kashmiri carpets knotted for new parliament
A bus driver now drives farm prosperity
Amol Kadam, 40, lives in Jaigaon – a poorly located and connected village in the drought-prone eastern parts of the Satara district. At a young age, he migrated and started working as an assistant and then as a driver in private buses operating between Mumbai and Goa. “Now I live in my village and go… Continue reading A bus driver now drives farm prosperity
September-Photo of the month
Tele teens – Kids in Canning, West Bengal, play with an old television frame (Photo by Surit Datta) A weaver washes colourful jute fibres in Santipur Village to extract threads of handloom dresses (Photo by Tanusree Mitra) Golden field – Two farmers stretch the golden paddy seeds under the sun (Photo by Dibakar Roy) In… Continue reading September-Photo of the month
She quit corporate job to conserve native seeds
Can seeing so many varieties of pulses play a part in changing the course of your life? Well, it did for me. I came across 45 varieties of rajma (kidney bean) displayed in a stall at the Organic World Congress in Delhi in 2017. I’d never seen such diversity in pulses. At the most we… Continue reading She quit corporate job to conserve native seeds
Perils of anganwadi worker not showing up for work
The single room anganwadi (rural child care centre), in the campus of a primary school in Banskhedi village, has no toilet, no kitchen, no flooring, not even a fan, never mind any electricity connection. It is in one of the most interior parts of the Bamori administrative block in the Guna district. To observe “Village… Continue reading Perils of anganwadi worker not showing up for work
“Gratitude award” offers Rs 1 crore for India’s changemakers
Village Square: What is the Yashraj Research Foundation? YRF: The Yashraj Research Foundation (YRF) empowers Indians, especially those living in rural and backward communities, helping give them tools and skills to create a better future. Village Square: What is Gratitude Award and is the award amount Rs 1 crore ? YRF: YRF wants to honour… Continue reading “Gratitude award” offers Rs 1 crore for India’s changemakers
How the patuas sustain their art of storytelling through scrolls
Not so long ago Anwar Chitrakar used to be a tailor. Last year he sold a painting for Rs 4 lakh in Dubai. Chitrakar, who is a patua (scroll painter) by lineage, does not paint work that falls into any of the ‘isms’ of the art world but rather to an ancient art. The patuas of… Continue reading How the patuas sustain their art of storytelling through scrolls
An educator and his rural school with a difference
Rajiv Gulati was the first in the Balrampur district to waive off his students’ fees during the pandemic when private schools elsewhere demanded fees. But then Gulati, the founder of ISG Convent Academy in Dharampur village, is no regular educator. The Balrampur district magistrate made a special mention of this and other schools followed suit,… Continue reading An educator and his rural school with a difference
Bell metal fires fading out in Assam
Dhanjit Deka spends around 10 hours every day before a small but fierce fire, manufacturing bell metal utensils. He makes pan bata (bowls mounted on a base) that are used for offering areca nuts to guests in Assamese households. The 40-year-old is among the 10,000 artisans who live in the ancient Sarthebari village of the Barpeta district,… Continue reading Bell metal fires fading out in Assam
“They killed my husband as revenge against me”
My husband, Amulya Singh, was murdered. As revenge against me. Because I raised my voice against the illegal hooch units in my village. And you know why I did that? Because the ten illegal liquor-making units were a menace. They were not only affecting the health of the men but also leading to domestic violence… Continue reading “They killed my husband as revenge against me”
Where are women in local government?
The first thing that struck us about the administration of Chhatarpur district was the absence of women. For a while we thought perhaps we had not seen the entire office. We assumed the women were at work in their rooms and that’s why we didn’t see them. But we didn’t see them in meetings either. … Continue reading Where are women in local government?