Tangy food craze – appemidi mango pickles

Tangy, crunchy, spicy appemidi mango pickles – the latest favourite of pickle connoisseurs.  Every region of India has a pickle variety to call its own. In parts of Karnataka it’s the appemidi pickle – small appemidi mangoes pickled whole. Jars of appemidi pickles find pride of place in the households in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada and… Continue reading Tangy food craze – appemidi mango pickles

Introducing Dolly, corporate professional turned two-time sarpanch from Bihar

Village Square: How did you transition from a comfortable corporate job in Delhi to becoming a two-time Sarpanch of Shadipur village in Gaya, Bihar? Dolly: I am from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. I completed my MBA in International Business from Symbiosis University. After that I did my air hostess and hospitality training and started working in… Continue reading Introducing Dolly, corporate professional turned two-time sarpanch from Bihar

Why do women revert to the chulha despite Ujjwala Yojana?

Savita wakes up at 5 am every morning, walks a few kilometres to gather some fuelwood from her tribal village Bhilai Khari in the Nasrullaganj block of the Sehore district in Madhya Pradesh.  On her way back the 25-year-old fetches water from a hand pump and starts cooking for her family on a chulha.  Savita… Continue reading Why do women revert to the chulha despite Ujjwala Yojana?

Stopping the Baiga tribal tattoo art from fading

Tattoos on their foreheads is what makes the girls of the Baiga tribe stand out distinctly from other tribes, like Gond and Bhil. And I’m one of the artists that put those tattoos on their forehead. Artists like me are called badnin. Since the Baiga tribal tattoo is done on girls, only women practise the… Continue reading Stopping the Baiga tribal tattoo art from fading

Producers of sweet mangoes feel bitter about losses

Summer is the season for luscious mangoes. Mangoes of all shapes, sizes and names have flooded the markets across India.  But not all is well with Odisha’s farmers who grow some of these mangoes. Neelkantha Sisa has been a mango farmer for over four decades. While working in his farm in the Bangudipada village of… Continue reading Producers of sweet mangoes feel bitter about losses

Going local – we prepare for World Localisation Day

Photo by Dr A V Rangandham

Bridging the rural-urban gap is at the core of everything Village Square does. In fact, this is our guiding principle for taking up the World Localization Day celebration as well – where we will facilitate the voices of incredible rural changemakers to reach a broader urban, young audiences. Since 2020, when it was initiated by… Continue reading Going local – we prepare for World Localisation Day

Sacred groves guarded by village deities need human help

For centuries many forests across India were seen to be guarded by fierce gods – local deities whose statues overlooked these sacred groves. In Tamil Nadu open-air shrines to gods from local folklore, like Ayyanar, Karrupusami, Veeran, Nalla Thangal, Kannimargal, can be found amidst the woods on the outskirts of villages. The power of these… Continue reading Sacred groves guarded by village deities need human help

Rural youth turn to cool eco-tourism jobs

With the sun slowly going down the horizon, the waters of the Kodar Dam turn a golden yellow. As daylight disappears the bankside turns magical with lanterns strung in trees, sparkling in the dark.  In the morning seasonal wildflowers and blooming roses greet you. It is the perfect spot to pitch a tent and stay… Continue reading Rural youth turn to cool eco-tourism jobs

A veil won’t cloud her vision

It’s enlightening to witness gender equality and women’s empowerment at practice in a village – though the very woman who practices it may not have heard the terms.  Meet Shashi Prabha Tomar, a dynamic woman, who contested local elections about a decade ago in Ambah administrative block in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh.  In… Continue reading A veil won’t cloud her vision

“Society should accept us as humans, not treat us as aliens”

I have blurred memories of my childhood, which I spent in a village in Uttar Pradesh. At school my classmates would bully me for the way I talked and walked.  When the taunts became too much, I stopped going to school. I was in class VII then. So, I’m just a sixth standard pass, good-for-nothing… Continue reading “Society should accept us as humans, not treat us as aliens”

Boom in Kashmir’s bloom business

When the sun peeks over the horizon, septuagenarian Ghulam Mohammad Doji slips into his backyard with a handheld sprayer. He then carefully lifts the polythene sheet covering a patch of seedlings and sprinkles water.  They are the seedlings of prized geranium plants that Doji, a retired gardener from a hotel, is growing to fulfill an… Continue reading Boom in Kashmir’s bloom business

Uninhibited menstruation talk on “Hello Saathi” helpline

Women checking Hello saathi Helpline for their use

Surekha Hamre walks five to eight kilometres a day to reach the most distant Adivasi settlements, often crossing streams and hills on foot. She is on a mission.  She wants to talk to girls and women about menstruation – their curiosities and challenges – without them feeling ashamed or judged. “If I talk to women… Continue reading Uninhibited menstruation talk on “Hello Saathi” helpline

“Women are embarrassed to talk about menstruation”

I strongly believe that success can only be achieved by following one’s passion, combined with hard work, patience and perseverance.  That’s how I pioneered the production of biodegradable sanitary pads in Porvorim, Goa that are good not only for women’s health but also for the environment. I was born in Kolhapur in Maharashtra.  In school,… Continue reading “Women are embarrassed to talk about menstruation”

Distant dream of sex reassignment surgery

“I’ve been saving money for two years. But the day I can have my surgery seems far off,” said Shital Chauhan, as she sat sipping coffee in a café.  Wearing a green salwar-kameez and red lipstick, the 32-year-old transwoman of Sanaur village in the Patiala district of Punjab was talking about her sex reassignment surgery… Continue reading Distant dream of sex reassignment surgery

When a wedding gift becomes a high interest loan

Sanjana Kaushik-the Manager – Youth Hub at Village Square. With inputs from Parmesh, Vaagdhara, an NGO working with the Bhils.

Have you ever seen your relatives or neighbours come with a wedding invitation and your family starts discussing what gift or how much money to give the couple? They also end up discussing whether to attend the wedding or not, and whether to invite them to your future family function, right?  I’ve overheard many such… Continue reading When a wedding gift becomes a high interest loan

Tea Tales – India’s ever evolving chai culture

These familiar transparent chai cups can be seen at tapris across India

Village Square: How did tea become so popular?  Arup K Chatterjee: Allow me to begin with a personal anecdote. About two-and-a-half years ago, after I finished the preface to my last book Indians in London: From the Birth of the East India Company to Independent India – where tea plays the role of a protagonist… Continue reading Tea Tales – India’s ever evolving chai culture