Featured Story – Page 90 – Village Square

November 20, 2017

Participants at an inland fish-farming workshop watch a demonstration. (Photo by Hiren Kumar Bose)

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Rearing fish in farm ponds boosts rural incomes

Farm ponds, built to harvest rainwater and irrigate rain-fed fields, are doubling up as fishponds, helping farmers overcome vagaries of agriculture with an additional source of income

November 17, 2017

Traditional wooden dolls adorn a shelf in Channapatna. (Photo by Chithra Ajith)

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Toy makers adapt to markets, add color to fading industry

Moving beyond toys, artisans in a Karnataka village make curios, and use new toy making and marketing methods to overcome challenges posed by cheap Chinese imports and restore the glory of Channapatna’s non-toxic wooden toys

November 15, 2017

In a roadside ghetto, Akila Bibi and others after a day’s hard work, separating white paper shreds from the colored ones for recycling. Earning Rs 3 a kg, they manage 30 kg to 50 kg a day. (Photo by Manipadma Jena)

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How distressed rural migrants shelter in cities

Flood and drought often drive the rural poor to cities. Those who are landless often stay on. Risking lives under the open sky, they hope a city’s many work opportunities will help them survive somehow

November 13, 2017

Girls of conservative Meo Muslim community in Thekra are now getting educated. (Photo by Tarun Kanti Bose)

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Meo girls step into modern world through schooling

Breaking long-held taboos and gender biases, girls of conservative Meo Muslim community in Alwar have convinced their parents to put them into school, and the results are showing