Is the art of Tibetans in India vanishing?

A declining population of Tibetans in India is impacting the livelihood of those making items like this frame drum used in Tibetan rituals (Photo by Gurvinder Singh)

Chungmo Bhutiya runs a small shop making traditional Tibetan boots and drums in the Kalimpong hills, a scenic destination that tourists love. The 35-year-old is one of the youngest and last Tibetan artisans in India making traditional Tibetan handicrafts. Many other second-generation Tibetan refugees are seeking greener pastures abroad. The declining population is affecting the… Continue reading Is the art of Tibetans in India vanishing?

Weed wars – invasive plants battle it out

Rampant growth of Senna spectabilis in Tholpetty range of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary area

I recently traveled in the forests of North Kerala. I visited the upper catchments of River Chaliyar in Malappuram district and of River Kabini in Wayanad district. The forests in Malappuram were nice with the pachyderms roaming without fear or worries. In fact they could be seen in the wild, thankfully from a safe distance… Continue reading Weed wars – invasive plants battle it out

The exploitative tale behind your morning brew

The idyllic beauty of tea estates in North Bengal often betray the tales of exploitation of the tea workers (Photo by Gurvinder Singh)

Bikram Tanti worked as a tea leaf plucker in Dheklapara tea estate in the Alipurduar district of West Bengal till a few months ago. He earned a paltry Rs 100 per day for working nearly 7 hours.  After a serious injury while collecting firewood in the forest, he has not been able to work.  Without… Continue reading The exploitative tale behind your morning brew

Tinker labs kindle rural kids’ technical creativity

Through hands-on experiments, kids learn the practical applications of their school lessons (Photo courtesy Anil Pradhan)

In 2020 when the world was obsessed with the COVID-19 pandemic, a young Odisha engineer was focused on fixing cosmic rovers, never mind most of his neighbours had  not ventured beyond the capital Bhubaneswar, 45 km away. But Anil Pradhan wanted to build a team that could participate in the NASA Human Exploration Rover challenge,… Continue reading Tinker labs kindle rural kids’ technical creativity

Leech therapy – alive and sucking in Kashmir

Belief in leech therapy continues in the Kashmir Valley as practitioner Muzafar Hajam applies the blood suckers to people’s skin (Photo by Nasir Yousufi)

Clad in pheran, the traditional Kashmiri attire, Muzafar Hajam and his teenage son left home in the wee hours of morning carrying an earthen pot, a pack of handkerchiefs and cotton wipes. At a marketplace in Srinagar dozens of people surrounded them as they opened their pot, taking a long, wistful look at the dozens… Continue reading Leech therapy – alive and sucking in Kashmir

The elephant and the honey bee: Are there lessons for Meghalaya and Tripura?

Beekeeping and externality in Economics A standard example for explaining the concept of “externality” in Economics is one of an apple orchard and a beekeeper next door. The honey bees from the hives of the beekeeper pollinate the apple trees helping a good apple yield, which makes the apple orchard owner  happy. Similarly, the bees… Continue reading The elephant and the honey bee: Are there lessons for Meghalaya and Tripura?

Ancient Mayurbhanj Chhau dance steps up revival

What happens to a cultural tradition or art that was started and patronised by royalty after such monarchs no longer rule? Most fade away from collective memory until they are well and truly lost. Which is almost what happened to the Mayurbhanj Chhau dance. Until the state government, stepped up to revive the dramatic dance… Continue reading Ancient Mayurbhanj Chhau dance steps up revival

Whose idea of development is it anyway?

For development professionals Smriti Gupta and Sohinee Thakurta, question what development is after a visit to a village displaced by a dam project (Photo courtesy Smriti Gupta)

“They will wear ties and pants and be taught how to be civilised,” a Patel businessman said, referring to children from the tribal communities who are studying in government schools. This remark triggered a series of thoughts for us. What does it mean to be civilised? Does eating with a spoon and a fork make… Continue reading Whose idea of development is it anyway?

Common kitchens – what’s cooking in Kerala?

Meals prepared in a common kitchen help working families find more time (Photo courtesy Majida)

Common kitchens? “Think of it as a kitchen where you’re cooking for a big family,” said Sundaran, the cook in Kerala’s first common kitchen. The ‘family’ here is generally a group of families in a neighbourhood. “This is not like your regular catering service, because that’s a commercial business,” Sundaran added. Home-grown cooks like Sundaran… Continue reading Common kitchens – what’s cooking in Kerala?

From the bladder of a cow

Usharani Reddy has been able to promote zero budget natural farming and earn money through products made from cow waste (Photo by Malleswari, Rayathu Sadhikara Samstha)

K Usharani Reddy of Andhra Pradesh is a 38-year-old mother of two bright, young college students. She was married by her parents when she was barely 17, but two years later, shortly after her two children were born, she lost her husband to an accident. Devastated, Usha went to live with her parents in the… Continue reading From the bladder of a cow

Rural theatre acts out vaccine hesitancy

Folk artists are using nukkad natak (street theatre) and gawari (tribal dance) to overcome vaccine hesitancy (Photo courtesy Anu Mishra)

It is a bright September afternoon in Mandwa, a village located in the hilly terrains of Kotra. A troupe of folk theatre artists from the neighbouring village arrives in colourful dresses. A vehicle with loudspeakers mounted on top is moving around the village playing popular folk songs with an announcer in the driver’s seat –… Continue reading Rural theatre acts out vaccine hesitancy

Is digital planning working for India’s villages?

The community’s enthusiasm is palpable in Nandgaon, a village in the tribal district of Barwani, Madhya Pradesh, as people eagerly talk about their yearly village plan.  The Gram Panchayat Plan (GPP), which they proudly paste on the wall, clearly depicts the activities to be undertaken by different stakeholders – government departments, the gram panchayat and… Continue reading Is digital planning working for India’s villages?

Tracking endangered northern river terrapins

Captive-bred northern river terrapins are released into the wild, with GPS transmitters to monitor them (Photo courtesy TSA India)

Thanks to technology, Shailendra Singh keeps constant tabs on his turtles. Not just any turtles but northern river terrapins, which conservationists had feared were extinct in the wild. Singh is the programme director of the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA)-India, a non-profit organisation that tries to prevent the terrapin from vanishing forever. In January this year,… Continue reading Tracking endangered northern river terrapins

Trafficked once, youth pedal to stop child exploitation

Shabaz was once forced into child labour - he now cycles through Bihari villages to create awareness about child trafficking (Photo by Gurvinder Singh)

Md Shabaz wakes up at the crack of dawn. Any lingering thoughts of going back to sleep disappear when he thinks of his childhood years. Years spent in distant Delhi when his tiny hands embroidered for hours without a break. Until he was rescued.  As villages stir to life, he wants to be there to… Continue reading Trafficked once, youth pedal to stop child exploitation

“All my effort over the years will be wasted”

Cheruvayal Raman is still preserving and propagating traditional rice of varieties of Wayanad as he has for many decades (Photo by Sibi Pulpally)

Almost 10 years after receiving international recognition for saving indigenous rice varieties, Kurichiya tribal farmer Cheruvayal Raman is worried his life’s work will be lost. Raman received the Genome Saviour Award in 2013 from the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPVFRA),  for preserving varieties of indigenous rice. Rice researchers all over the… Continue reading “All my effort over the years will be wasted”

Srinagar’s Lake Khushal Sar springs back to life

With support from local communities and authorities, Khushal Sar lake is cleared of garbage and restored (Photo by Nasir Yousufi)

A group of people unloaded bulging bags from their boats in Lake Khushal Sar in Srinagar, while an older man, flaunting a long grey beard, patted them on their backs. Bags full of fish? No. The bags were full of plastic bottles, polythene grocery bags and other garbage fished out of the lake. Sexagenarian Manzoor… Continue reading Srinagar’s Lake Khushal Sar springs back to life

Azolla “water weed” becomes cattle superfood

Azolla, one of the fastest growing plants on earth, is becoming superfood for cattle

One of the biggest hurdles cattle farmers face is the cost of keeping their livestock fed. Enter: azolla – the aquatic fern. It is considered a pesky water weed by some but is becoming the new superfood for cattle. Going by an array of colourful names – from mosquito fern to fairy moss to water… Continue reading Azolla “water weed” becomes cattle superfood

Tikuli art – Born from bindis

Tikuli art originates from the bright and ornate bindis that women wore between their brows during Mughal times (Photo by Gurvinder Singh)

Tikuli. The vernacular word brings to mind images of a gorgeous red-coloured bindi that married women in most parts of India wear on their foreheads between their eyebrows. But do you know that tikuli art is also an age-old painting style of Bihar? The bright images with glossy, thick paint flourished under the royal patronage… Continue reading Tikuli art – Born from bindis