From the teenager who sings about the glories of bamboo in Kerala to the tailor who pushes the clothing industry to ensure women get enough loos. From the Jharkhand girl who loved hockey and becomes a coach to the destitute mother who becomes a successful farmer. These are the women we feature in Village Square’s… Continue reading Celebrating rural women – with no bias
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Odisha’s “Twitter Girl” helps solve people’s problems
Who is Odisha’s Twitter girl? It used to be the “power of the pen” that got things done – now it is a tweet. But one young, selfless woman from Odisha is using this powerful tool not for herself, but to help those on the margins of society. 25-year-old Charubala Barik, fondly called the “Twitter… Continue reading Odisha’s “Twitter Girl” helps solve people’s problems
Young twitcher becomes desert’s star birding guide
Most Gen-Xers spend hours looking at social media. But this 27-year-old Rajasthani is passionate about birds, preferring to be a twitcher — a birding guide — rather than spending his time on Twitter. While most of us can’t tell the difference between the different species of larks or even pipits, which look similar beyond minor… Continue reading Young twitcher becomes desert’s star birding guide
UP’s young water evangelist
Meet water evangelist Ramandeep Kaur The sight of people wasting water – even when it’s readily available – hurts Ramandeep Kaur so deeply that she can’t keep quiet. “I hold water sacred and recognise its role in everything we do,” she said. When she sees someone washing dishes or clothes while keeping the tap water… Continue reading UP’s young water evangelist
Hot iron branding of babies fizzles out
Plush greenery, thatched houses and rugged roads. Kundei looks like a typical Odisha village. But despite being in the mineral-rich Kendujhar district, this lush village lags in development. Kundei has over 1,000 people, including members of the Juang indigenous community. Like many communities in Odisha and elsewhere, the people of Kundei were unaware of good… Continue reading Hot iron branding of babies fizzles out
The power of exposure trips
This is a story about the power of exposure trips on young development professionals. We set out in a large vehicle on a mildly cold day in December. It was 2018 and I was accompanying a group of tribal women farmers from the remote villages of the Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh on their first trip… Continue reading The power of exposure trips
Weavers keep Bastar’s pata saree tradition alive
Every state or region in India has age-old varieties of sarees to call its own. Bastar and its famous pata sarees Bastar has its very own pata saree, with its maroon or burgundy border and intricate, nature-inspired motifs on a creamy white background. It is the attire that the women of the Dhurwa tribe in… Continue reading Weavers keep Bastar’s pata saree tradition alive
Fish on their plate, money in their wallet
Here’s a story about community-based aquaculture, its economic benefits in rural Odisha, and the heroic women behind it. For millions of Indians the pandemic not only meant job losses, it also meant loss of sustenance. Especially for those living hand-to-mouth in rural areas. “When we earn less, we eat less. So our children eat fewer… Continue reading Fish on their plate, money in their wallet
“I decided to glamorise pottery”
Life seemed good. I had a government job as an engineer, a social life and a loving family. And then it all changed. Domestic violence, body shaming about my skin colour – I endured them all. A marriage knot that was supposed to be a new beginning took me to the far end of life.… Continue reading “I decided to glamorise pottery”
A young woman engineer spurs hope for pottery in Kashmir
With so much talk about depression – especially among the young – it might be hard to imagine that the ancient art of moulding clay can help defeat mental illness. But, yes it can. So says Saima Shafi Mir, popularly known as “Kralkoor,” meaning potter girl in local parlance. Seated at her potter’s wheel, Mir… Continue reading A young woman engineer spurs hope for pottery in Kashmir
Joy of making banking accessible to women
Going to a bank is an intimidating experience for some people, especially those who are not educated. If the officious affluence makes a person nervous today, imagine how tense it would have been decades ago – especially for illiterate women. That is why Lakhimi Baruah started a bank in Assam – to make banking easy… Continue reading Joy of making banking accessible to women
How a school parliament grooms Bastar tribal children
When the bell rings after lunch at this rural school in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, a group of senior students rushes into a room. But it is no ordinary room. With its simple yet elegant and eco-friendly bamboo furniture arranged in a semicircle with potted plants at the centre, the room bears some resemblance to the boardrooms… Continue reading How a school parliament grooms Bastar tribal children
Profiting from propagating native seeds
After a crop loss for two consecutive years, Manglu Sahu is happy with a harvest of 44 quintal of paddy from two acres. The marginal farmer of Odisha’s Bargarh district praises local ‘seed saviour’, Sudam Sahu, for coming to his rescue. “I was already deep in debt – I had no money to buy seeds… Continue reading Profiting from propagating native seeds
The lack of sustainable farming prospects in India
What does the future of sustainable farming practices in India look like? Let’s take a look. If we look at the new agriculture programs from the Government of India, the future of sustainable farming practices in India looks bright. For instance, in 2021, the Government announced that the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) will… Continue reading The lack of sustainable farming prospects in India
Greening barren land – Bihar’s guava guru
What was once a barren island in the middle of the mostly dry River Falgu in southern Bihar is now a pleasantly cool and green orchard with the distinct aroma of guava wafting in the air. This transformation is thanks to the hard work and perseverance of Satyendar Gautam Manjhi — Bihar’s guava guru… Continue reading Greening barren land – Bihar’s guava guru
“I know the pain of being abandoned”
My childhood? (laughs). I can say my childhood was good, though there were problems and struggles. But then, such is life. I’d been abandoned as a baby and I grew up in Nari Niketan, an orphanage in Jalandhar. I had my formal education at Nari Niketan school and did my graduation as a private student.… Continue reading “I know the pain of being abandoned”
What the budget means for rural India
Both the Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare will get slightly more funds this year, but with no increase to the rural employment guarantee scheme will the 2022 budget help stop rural distress and the widening inequality made worse by COVID-19? The 2022 budget: A quick glance During Tuesday’s… Continue reading What the budget means for rural India
Abandoned as an infant, she brings up orphaned girls
Every girl is precious. Educate the girl and strengthen the nation. That was the motto with which the Indian government started the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (save the girl child, educate the girl child) programme in 2014. But two decades earlier, Punjab-based Parkash Kaur had taken it upon herself to do just that – save… Continue reading Abandoned as an infant, she brings up orphaned girls
Will Dhinkia lose its betel vines to steel plants?
While the port city of Paradip buzzes with coverall-clad workers from the docks, oil refinery and fertiliser plant, there is an eerie air in the surrounding countryside. On the road leading to Dhinkia village several police vans line the narrow road. No one is in sight, except a middle-aged man with a sack of betel… Continue reading Will Dhinkia lose its betel vines to steel plants?
Forget logging or hunting – two Assam villages embrace ecotourism
Discover how ecotourism has contributed towards the livelihoods of the local youths in Notun Leikol and Boljang in rural Assam. Notun Leikol village in Assam is rich in natural beauty with green mountains, silvery waterfalls, orange orchards and scenic surroundings. Around 900 people live in the village in the Dima Hasao district, most of them… Continue reading Forget logging or hunting – two Assam villages embrace ecotourism