Locals gather in the village square to celebrate the springtime Fagli festival – which marks the end of winter and the victory of good over evil – at a remote village in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh (Photo by Swati Seth) In a sea of blue nets after a day of fishing in Canning,… Continue reading April – Photo of the Month
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Is the art of Tibetans in India vanishing?
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
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
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
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
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?
“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?
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
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
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
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
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”
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
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
“Social media activism has given my life meaning”
I’m from a lower-middle class family. My father is a marginal farmer and my mother is an anganwadi (government child care centre) worker. In my village I saw how marginalised people struggled to make ends meet. Seeing their everyday struggles, from a young age I wanted to serve them. But I had no idea how… Continue reading “Social media activism has given my life meaning”
Azolla “water weed” becomes cattle superfood
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. 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