Bipul Das is the owner and principal coordinator of a “Jatra Dal”, a form of rural theatre, based in rural Kamrup district of Assam. He spends a part of his time acting as a stringer for Assamese newspapers, but his livelihood is from the Jatra Dal. He has been in this business for over 17… Continue reading Assam’s rural theatre: Curtains up or down?
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Assam’s rural theatre: Curtains up or down?
Bipul Das is the owner and principal coordinator of a “Jatra Dal” based in rural Kamrup district of Assam. He spends a part of his time acting as a stringer for Assamese newspapers, but his livelihood is from the Jatra Dal. He has been in this business for over 17 years. The Jatra form of… Continue reading Assam’s rural theatre: Curtains up or down?
Meet Similipal’s young forest “Protection Assistants”
At 9 AM, Hemanondo Dhir walks the forests of Similipal every day. With care and attention, he notes everything – a new track here, a fallen branch there – covering some 15 km and not stopping until 5 pm. He is one of Similipal National Park’s team of young eco-warriors, officially called protection assistants. They… Continue reading Meet Similipal’s young forest “Protection Assistants”
Be a Village Square Campus Ambassador
Welcome to the Village Square campus ambassador programme. Read on to find out how you can sign up to be one! Are you a college student who wants to be a change-maker? A natural leader who wants to help India become both more prosperous and more inclusive? Well, Village Square Youth Hub is the place… Continue reading Be a Village Square Campus Ambassador
Award takes Kaithapram’s therapeutic music to a higher note
“Music is an elixir. It rejuvenates, it heals,” declared Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri. He should know. Not only was his father a musician who would ask his son to sing to him whenever he fell ill, not only did he grow up to have a career in music too, but he also experienced its healing power… Continue reading Award takes Kaithapram’s therapeutic music to a higher note
“I didn’t want to give up on life”
I was 16 when my parents got me married. When I gave birth to a girl, all hell broke loose. My husband and his entire family turned against me. When their abuses crossed all the limits and I could no longer tolerate it, I walked out of my husband’s house. Though it became a court… Continue reading “I didn’t want to give up on life”
Kashmir’s cricket bat industry goes for a toss
Cut willow logs can be seen lining either side of the Srinagar-Jammu Highway in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. The willow clefts, as the logs cut approximately to the size of the bats are called, are arranged in stacks for drying for months, so eventually they can be shaped into cricket bats. The bat manufacturing industry… Continue reading Kashmir’s cricket bat industry goes for a toss
Desi rose brings sweet smell of success
This is the story of the desi rose from Maharashtra, India. It’s four in the morning and the entire Kumhar household – young and the old alike – is out in the field braving the early December chill. Wearing mining torches, they nimbly pluck the blooming roses, wary of the wayward thorns. They are not… Continue reading Desi rose brings sweet smell of success
Teenagers ensure children learn during lockdowns
Learning during lockdowns: Teen tribals turn into volunteer teachers in rural Odisha Young children start arriving at Jamuna Podiami’s doorstep at 6 am. Podiami, a 19-year-old tribal girl who has completed her higher secondary education, gets up very early so that she can finish her household chores before the children arrive. Then her modest hut… Continue reading Teenagers ensure children learn during lockdowns
Sun-dried vegetables find “flavour” in Kashmiri kitchens
What is hokh syun? Every winter a distinct aroma fills the air of kitchens across Kashmir. The fruits and vegetables of summer that have been carefully sun-dried and stored for months are soaked in hot water until they swell up. They are then sautéed in oil and masalas creating an aroma that smells like winter… Continue reading Sun-dried vegetables find “flavour” in Kashmiri kitchens
Ferocious river threatens potters’ livelihood
“The fresh year brings new hopes and aspirations for people across the globe. But not for us,” said Maijon Borah (75), a woman potter who lives in Salmora village in Majuli Island. “We just live for the day and do not think further since our survival is at stake.” Salmora village in Assam’s Majuli Island… Continue reading Ferocious river threatens potters’ livelihood
Tourism-dependent islanders struggle to stay afloat
Elephanta Island resident Shailesh Mhatre earns barely a few hundred rupees from his stall these days. “That’s a blessing,” said the 38-year-old COVID-19 survivor. Because a few months back even that amount had been hard to come by. The economy of the island known for its Elephanta Caves – a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site… Continue reading Tourism-dependent islanders struggle to stay afloat
Inaugural Bharat Youth Dialogue with Swara Bhaskar
Swara Bhaskar, the acclaimed actor and outspoken advocate of rural India, kicked-off our Bharat Youth Dialogue series on December 16, 2021 at Siri Fort in New Delhi, India. She was in conversation with journalist Suparna Sharma.
Women in Naxal hotbed “scoop up” sitaphal income
Sitaphal income is raising the quality of life of tribal women in Chattisgarh. From fancy restaurants to family-friendly ice creameries, the latest ice cream flavour of choice is custard apple — locally called Sitaphal in India. The sweet and textured nature of the fruit, which really does echo the flavour of custard, blends perfectly with… Continue reading Women in Naxal hotbed “scoop up” sitaphal income
Throw mustard in the elephant’s face
The Duchess threw pepper in the baby’s face, spoke roughly and would “beat him when he sneezes because he quite likes pepper but howls only because it teases.” That was Alice in Wonderland’s fictional tale. Here in the remote villages of Chirang district, farmers try to do the same thing, not to babies, thank Ganesha,… Continue reading Throw mustard in the elephant’s face
Odiya tribes discover the wonders of millets
A few years ago, Pabitra Bhuin, a 50-year-old tribal farmer of Sundargarh district in Odisha, found it very difficult to sustain his six-member family with his two acres of land. “I used to grow vegetables and corn along with rice paddy. Here in the tribal areas there’s no irrigation facility. Also, paddy often gets destroyed… Continue reading Odiya tribes discover the wonders of millets
Earning a lakh from half an acre
Pushpa Chhetri amazes me. She’s so hardworking, she inspires me a lot on a daily basis. I’ve been working with her through my organisation, Seven Sisters Development Assistance (SeSTA) for a year-and-a-half. Meet Pushpa Chhetri, the owner of a bight and a half of land in Juilaga, Assam Pushpa is a middle-aged mother of two… Continue reading Earning a lakh from half an acre
Swara Bhasker says to leave comfort zone to make a better India
“What’s happening in rural India will affect us in one way or another,” said critically acclaimed Hindi-language actor and activist, Swara Bhasker. She should know. As a graduate fresh out of college, she spent one month of her life on a rural immersion fellowship that she said changed her life. Speaking at the inaugural Bharat… Continue reading Swara Bhasker says to leave comfort zone to make a better India
“I decided to earn people’s blessings”
It was the darkest night of my life, a night when my soul shivered with an unknown fear. My husband and I stood forlorn outside the paediatric ICU of KGMU Hospital in Lucknow. Inside the ICU, doctors struggled to control my five-year-old daughter’s high fever. Suddenly I heard low sobs in a dark corner of… Continue reading “I decided to earn people’s blessings”
Farming youth feel emboldened
There was a festive feel in the air as the farmers marched and danced to drum beats on their way back to their villages from their protest sites outside Delhi. They had been camping there for a year, protesting against three contentious farm laws. (READ: Protesting farmers won’t back down) Prime Minister Narendra Modi had… Continue reading Farming youth feel emboldened