As a child growing up in Mumbai, I had a lot of exposure to all things art. My family was into classical music and literature. The sitar teacher was a regular fixture at home. And attending concerts was the norm. But I also had a wild streak in me. I found that out when I… Continue reading “I realised I couldn’t live without jungles”
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July – Photo of the Month
A teacher teaches Bengali alphabets to his student (Photo by Surit Datta) Ice cream, jhoola and a lot of fun – a vibrant, local fair in Bhangoria, Madhya Pradesh (Photo by Nimai Chandra Ghosh) Children enjoy their bath-time in a village pond in West Bengal (Photo by Nimai Chandra Ghosh) An old man concentrates sugarcane… Continue reading July – Photo of the Month
Gasoo – the strawberry bowl of Kashmir
If you bite into juicy red strawberries in Kashmir, chances are the fruits are from the village of Gasoo. All you see in the fields of Gasoo are dense, low-lying foliage. But a closer look reveals men and women busily plucking ripe red strawberries that are hidden underneath the foliage. Customers like Gazala, a government… Continue reading Gasoo – the strawberry bowl of Kashmir
Mud houses that help keep the cool
As India witnessed heatwaves this summer certain tribes in Rajasthan had no problem. No, they did not rely on expensive air conditioning. But their traditional mud houses helped them keep their cool during the extreme heat. Irrespective of the season, houses with mud walls maintain a moderate temperature as they act as a natural shield,… Continue reading Mud houses that help keep the cool
West Bengal’s flower trade booms beyond state borders
Suchitra Basu of Kudalipara village in Darjeeling district divides her time between attending to household chores and stringing the cut flowers that the farmers of her village provide. “The farmers bring the flowers to us after plucking them from the fields. They also supply the strings for making the flower garlands,” Basu, sitting outside her… Continue reading West Bengal’s flower trade booms beyond state borders
The flower power behind Holi
It is easy to see how these bright flowers, in and among the tea gardens of the Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal, lend themselves to spring festivals and celebrations. The flowers are plucked by hand and then pressed and boiled in a 3-day process to turn them into organic abir – brightly coloured powder. This… Continue reading The flower power behind Holi
A peek into rural India’s plastic waste
An openbill stork forages in the polluted water of Triveni Sangam – the holy confluence of the Cauvery. India’s three rivers – Indus, Brahmaputra, and Ganga – are among the world’s top 10 plastic waste carrying rivers (Photo by Pavan Prasad) A pair of Gray-headed Swamphen feeding on plastic debris in Periyapatna. A UN report… Continue reading A peek into rural India’s plastic waste
The vanishing art of weaving bamboo baskets
A couple is seen weaving bamboo baskets with the bare minimum resources and no shed to give them protection from the October heat. You might think this is a scene from a period film or a story from decades ago. Sadly not. This is Kesari’s reality in a remote village in the Banswara district. Kesari… Continue reading The vanishing art of weaving bamboo baskets
“Even when my daughter was hospitalised, I continued to teach”
You know how life in a small village could be. We had no facilities in my village Ramgarh. I was the only girl child among three boys. I remember helping my mother gather firewood, keep the fire burning to cook food and do chores. When I was 15, my mother told my father to stop… Continue reading “Even when my daughter was hospitalised, I continued to teach”
Celebrating rural India on World Localization Day
“Localization is future” – on June 20 the celebration of local began with a powerful message from Helena Norberg-Hodge, Director of Local Futures, who pioneered the localization movement globally. Village Square in partnership with The National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) celebrated World Localization Day with prominent rural changemakers, urban youth, development professionals, civil society… Continue reading Celebrating rural India on World Localization Day
Being LGBTQ in rural India
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer – words not often heard in the village. Being LGBTQ is becoming more common in urban India, but it is still a taboo in the other parts of the country. In celebration of Pride Month and the idea that anyone’s sexuality or chosen gender is something to be respected,… Continue reading Being LGBTQ in rural India
The tale and telling of queerness in Bengal’s Bhadu songs
After two years of COVID restrictions, there is a flurry of face-to-face parades and parties for this year’s Pride Month. Admittedly most of these LGTBQ celebrations are happening mostly in metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and Kolkata. The recent proliferation of online queer spaces and pride campaigns advanced the visibility of queer-trans people in… Continue reading The tale and telling of queerness in Bengal’s Bhadu songs
Photo call-out – send us your plastic pollution pictures
From July 1 the government is banning single-use plastic, barring the manufacturing, distribution, importing, sale, stocking and use of it across the country. Send your images on why India’s July 1 single-use plastic ban is important – Send your images on why India’s July 1 single-use plastic ban is important – by clicking open and… Continue reading Photo call-out – send us your plastic pollution pictures
Forbidden love in rural Punjab
It was love at first sight for Lovely Rana and B Jaspreet when they first met outside their coaching centre when they were in class VIII. They kept meeting and spending time together until they confessed their love for each other. This was not just the start of their love story but also a rift… Continue reading Forbidden love in rural Punjab
Watermelons bring sweet success to women farmers
Biting into a juicy watermelon wedge is sure to be a sweet relief against the summer heat. But have you ever stopped to wonder where the fruit might be coming from? One place is Bangudipada, a remote village in the Koraput district of Odisha, where watermelons are offering women a new livelihood lifeline. Surrounded by… Continue reading Watermelons bring sweet success to women farmers
The silent revolution: The DAY of hope and promise
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana (DAY) was formed after integrating the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) and its urban counterpart to enable the rural and urban poor to search, create, tap and use opportunities in their surrounding areas to enhance their livelihoods and wellbeing. DAY is among the largest anti-poverty programmes anywhere in the world.… Continue reading The silent revolution: The DAY of hope and promise
Court unites lesbian couple separated by family
It was a tense and nerve-wracking moment for Adhila Nassrin and Fathima Noora as they awaited the court’s verdict. Will the court approve of their same-sex relationship and let the two young women live with each other? Besides each other, the two women only had the support of the organisation that had given them shelter.… Continue reading Court unites lesbian couple separated by family
Mor Mitti – A team of young entrepreneurs building a sustainable space in Jharkhand
Mitti does not discriminate, it treats everyone equally, and it’s where life, death and everything in between lies. Village Square: What is Mor Mitti? And how did you come up with this interesting name? Mor Mitti: In fact, let’s start with the name – Mor Mitti. Why did we choose Mitti? Mitti represents soil- after… Continue reading Mor Mitti – A team of young entrepreneurs building a sustainable space in Jharkhand
Megha Parmar, the first woman mountaineer from Madhya Pradesh
Standing at the summit – the earth appears round, and holding the Indian tricolour in your hand in -47 degrees – is an absolutely incredible feeling. It feels different, you feel limitless Village Square: Living in rural Madhya Pradesh, how did your love affair with mountaineering start? Megha : It all happened quite suddenly. While… Continue reading Megha Parmar, the first woman mountaineer from Madhya Pradesh
Our heroes – celebrating fatherhood
Being a coach – in the sea, a father teaches his sons to fish near Canning Town of West Bengal. (Photo by Raj Kumar Som) Fatherhood down the generations – a grandson in Basavraj Piche, Pune trying to convince his baba (grandfather) to take a selfie with him. (Photo by Basavraj Piche) Working dad –… Continue reading Our heroes – celebrating fatherhood