Noticing rainwater entering her neighbour’s small porch, Karpagam B., decided to call her at 6:30 am, knowing her neighbour would not wake up till much later. It had been raining in Chennai since the night before and she was on high-alert. She did not want her neighbour to be left with unsalvageable books and computers,… Continue reading Incessant rains bring flood of emotions
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Village Vibe photo competition and exhibition
“My ideal village will contain intelligent human beings. Men and women will be free and able to hold their own against anyone in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of India was rooted in her villages – of vibrant people living with freedom, dignity and self-reliance. Yet, as our nation has grown, urban… Continue reading Village Vibe photo competition and exhibition
Women bet big on rearing rabbits
Nibuno Kuotsu lives in a pristine village surrounded by a green canopy of mountains and blue skies in the Kohima district of Nagaland, around 50 kilometres from the state capital. Though she lives in an idyllic spot sought out by many nature lovers, her house is made of tin and supported by bamboo pillars. The… Continue reading Women bet big on rearing rabbits
“My pupils will one day play at the Olympics”
I was a typical girl from an impoverished farming family – the kind that’s so common in Jharkhand’s rural areas. We couldn’t even afford a hockey stick. But if you’d seen me then, you’d have noticed the big dreams in my eyes. At the age of twelve I made my own hockey sticks – from… Continue reading “My pupils will one day play at the Olympics”
Keeping Kurumba art alive
Until a few years ago there were no proper roads to get to Baviyur, a remote village of Tamil Nadu where the story of a tribal community has been passed down as rock paintings. Even today there are very few buses that reach this tribal hamlet about 30 kilometres from Kotagiri in Nilgiris district. The… Continue reading Keeping Kurumba art alive
“My daughter was cold and still”
Every night, at around 12, my baby used to wake up, crying. After I breast-fed her, she would play for a while and go back to sleep. But that night, she didn’t get up. When I realised this, around 1 in the morning, I fed her. An hour later I discovered she was cold and… Continue reading “My daughter was cold and still”
Weak and vulnerable pandemic babies
When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, life became tougher than usual for Khusboo. A, who lives in a Musahar (Dalit) settlement outside Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Her husband, who used to work in a fabric factory in Gujarat, lost his job and they could not afford three meals a day. “I would cook during the… Continue reading Weak and vulnerable pandemic babies
Looking for gold
While jewellery shops across India’s towns and cities are abuzz with customers eager to buy shiny gold ornaments during this year’s festival season, a group of villagers in a remote hamlet of West Bengal toil for this precious metal. Meet the gold panners of Ankro village in the district of Purulia. While the word “gold”… Continue reading Looking for gold
Passionate about bamboo – “the world’s panacea”
Bamboo! The very word perks me up. So you can imagine how I feel near a bamboo plant. Even as a child, for some unknown reason, I delighted in looking at bamboo plants. Wherever we went, I would go in search of bamboo clumps. As a kid, whenever my parents planned a picnic or a… Continue reading Passionate about bamboo – “the world’s panacea”
Eco-activists root for bamboo
As Kerala reels from the latest round of incessant rains and deadly landslides, as families see their homes wash away and others pack up their meagre belongings to leave the backwaters forever, 17-year-old Naina Febin sways her head and sings a song. It is all she can do to stop the emotions she feels swelling… Continue reading Eco-activists root for bamboo
Home insurance ignored by market and government
Kerala and Uttarakhand are two very different states battling a common enemy: heavy rain and deadly landslides. As the death toll continues to rise, homes are also washed away in the gushing waters. Extreme weather events are becoming all too frequent in India thanks to climate change. According to the National Disaster Management Authority, nearly… Continue reading Home insurance ignored by market and government
Early snowfall destroys apple orchards
Kashmir received the season’s first snowfall much earlier than usual, destroying many apple crops in the Shopian area of south Kashmir and leaving farmers in tears over their losses. Though there was an advisory from the government and meteorological department ahead of the incessant rain and sudden snowfall, it takes at least two days to… Continue reading Early snowfall destroys apple orchards
1 billion doses down
After a slow and shaky start to its COVID-19 vaccination drive, India reached the major milestone of administering one billion doses of the vaccine. “India scripts history,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter. “We are witnessing the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of (1.3 billion) Indians.” This massive feat would not… Continue reading 1 billion doses down
Kerala floods trigger more migration
In the picturesque village of Mundakayam, near the Western Ghats, life moves at a leisurely pace. The village in Kottayam district sees a fair share of tourists. K P Jebi, a bus driver from Mundakayam, had been unemployed since the lockdown began. As the government opened up tourism, Jebi was hopeful of working and earning… Continue reading Kerala floods trigger more migration
“They are all my children”
I still remember those days when I went from door-to-door begging for food and money for the children in our orphanage. I was just 10 years old. I trudged for miles to remote places, dragging my weary feet. My body ached, but I endured the pain to fulfil my mother’s dream. As her only child,… Continue reading “They are all my children”
Of livelihoods in barren terrains
Matali is a remote village in Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh. It is so remote that the village with five hamlets and about 500 households spread over 13 hillocks of 6 km radius lies in oblivion to the rest of the country. I sat there in the hall of Matali’s gram panchayat listening to the… Continue reading Of livelihoods in barren terrains
Rural social media stars showcase rustic charm
Who could have imagined images of a rural family enjoying a meal of vegetables and mushrooms foraged from the wild would enthral lakhs of viewers? But the unedited, earthy videos that have cropped up during the pandemic, showcasing the charm of rural life, have hooked audiences. They have not only turned the subjects into social… Continue reading Rural social media stars showcase rustic charm
Kashmiri girls pedal out of taboos
When the first light of dawn breaks on the horizon, 23-year-old Tanzeela Akhter makes hasty calls to her friends before setting out on their early morning expedition. Donning sports suits, protective gear and wide smiles, they join others along the picturesque Boulevard and Fore Shore Road that curves around Dal Lake in Srinagar. They are… Continue reading Kashmiri girls pedal out of taboos
Solar “pumps” up incomes
Solar panels: A boon to Tamil Nadu’s farmers What is the major problem farmers face on a daily basis? Electricity. Or rather the erratic supply of it, making farmers spend an inordinate amount of money watering their crops. Arjunan Thillai was visibly relieved when he diverted water from the moringa trees on his farm to… Continue reading Solar “pumps” up incomes
Lawyer-turned-farmer advocates for forest farming
It’s hard to believe L R Venkatesan’s lush mini-forest – full of guava, cranberry, jujube, birds and butterflies – was once barren land. The 3.5 acre plot was covered in limestone that went one-and-a-half feet deep. Most people did not think it was good for much. But Venkatesan had an idea. Though he had come… Continue reading Lawyer-turned-farmer advocates for forest farming