Bahurupi folk theater finds few takers in West Bengal

Jagannath and Jyoti are among the child Bahurupi breadwinners who miss school to perform in villages. (Photo by Gurvinder Singh)

The Bahurupis of West Bengal, who donned greasepaint and entertained the rural masses through folk and street theater by masquerading as mythological characters, have dwindled in numbers due to lack of patronage

Women bear brunt of poor healthcare in rural Kashmir

A woman takes a look at her baby in Lal Ded Hospital in Srinagar. (Photo by Athar Parvaiz)

Healthcare infrastructure is poor in rural areas of Kashmir, and it particularly affects the women, who have to rush to Srinagar to get proper medical attention, as there is a dire shortage of gynecologists in the districts

Odisha’s seasonal hostels help curb child migration and child labor

A seasonal hostel in Balangir, where classrooms double up as sleeping quarters. (Photo by Rakhi Ghosh)

Poor villagers in Odisha’s migration-prone districts, who toil at brick kilns in the southern states for most part of the year, have found some succor in seasonal hostels that educate and nourish their children in a safe haven

Does targeted finance help farm widows break free of chronic debt?

Farm widows in Atmakur of Warangal district have got their lives back on track due to financial inclusion programs. (Photo by Prajwal Suvarna)

While targeted assistance has brought financial inclusion to farm widows in parts of Telangana, only concrete interventions can eradicate chronic indebtedness and ensure sustainable livelihoods

How villagers in Poi breathed life back into a forest

Youth from Poi village in the forest they conserved along with other villagers. (Photo by Hiren Kumar Bose)

In an extraordinary tale of community managed ecological restoration, the residents of Poi village near Kalyan in Maharashtra adopted a degraded forest and turned it into a lush haven of biodiversity

Brass smiths of Parev brave hardships to keep traditional craft alive

Parev village is a manufacturing hub of traditional brass utensils, used in temples and at homes during rituals. (Photo by Mohd Imran Khan)

Despite lack of essential infrastructure, no government support and highly erratic power supply, artisanal brass utensil makers in Bihar have overcome huge odds and flourished, providing livelihoods to many rural households

The grey and grim hues of rural India

Children in the poorer parts of rural India do not have much to look forward to (Photo by Billy Cedeno)

In travelling to the less fortunate parts of the countryside, it is difficult to come to terms with the stark poverty, squalid living conditions and bleak prospects of the young living in the neglected parts of our country

Enterprising Odisha women take to selling fish to improve lives

Women like Dulana came together to empower themselves as businesswomen, taking their families and community forward in the process (Photo by Basudev Mahapatra)

Women in Odisha’s coastal fishing villages have turned to selling fish and value-added fishery products after eliminating middlemen and abolishing the home brewing of country liquor, the root cause of their problems

Women in rural Uttar Pradesh declare war on skin infections

A physician offers consultation during a daad bhagao camp, set up specifically to diagnose and treat skin infections. (Photo by People’s Action for National Integration)

Through the community village clinics they have established, women collectives in parts of rural Uttar Pradesh have started campaigning successfully against fungal infections that affect the quality of their lives

Kantha embroidery empowers women in rural Bengal

A single woman’s journey to earn a dignified livelihood has today evolved into a revival of the traditional Kantha embroidery that has led to empowerment of rural women in West Bengal

Drumstick cultivation boosts farm incomes in drought-prone Solapur

Appa Karmakar of Angar village in Solapur has tasted success by cultivating drumsticks. (Photo by Hiren Kumar Bose)

Perfectly adapted to dry land farming, the nutrient-rich moringa has become the crop of choice among many farmers in drought-prone Solapur, earning them a steady income throughout the year

Watermelons stem distress migration in Odisha’s hunger belt

Cultivating watermelon has stemmed migration from the drought-prone western districts of Odisha. (Photo by Rakhi Ghosh)

Forced to migrate due to poverty and recurrent droughts, and with no better life in faraway brick kilns, farmers in western Odisha have turned to watermelon cultivation, reaping rich benefits

India’s bureaucracy has failed its forest dwellers

The Bondas of Malkangiri in Odisha, like other particularly vulnerable tribal groups, have been left out of India’s development story. (Photo by Saurabh Chatterjee)

The country’s particularly vulnerable tribal groups, who live mostly in dwindling forests, have not been well served by the government’s administrative machinery, but have slowly been reduced to virtual serfdom

Manipuri women revive village republics for all-round development

Women, understanding the power of collective work, form self-help groups to engage in income-generating activities. (Photo by Ninglun Hanghal)

Despite dwindling forest resources that had traditionally sustained them, villagers in Churachandpur district of Manipur have successfully shifted to growing new crops, and are now exploring new livelihood options

Can managing electricity access empower women in rural India?

A woman member of the local village energy committee in Khamda, Maharashtra. (Photo by Adam Barr)

Even as India provides electricity to all villages, it is important to reflect on how electrification affects men and women in different ways, and the opportunities that decentralized energy access creates for sustainable gender-balanced development

An ancient art is earning modern dividends in Khasi Hills

Thrang Timung displaying a prized Ryndia shawl. (Photo by Linda Chhakchhuak)

From being one of the poorest areas of Meghalaya, Umden in Ri Bhoi has emerged as the epicenter of ethical sericulture and Eri silk weaving, thanks to the persistence of women practicing the traditional art