Livelihoods

Rural India is home of the original gig-economy worker. Enterprising villagers hop from tilling fields to tending shops, to door-to-door selling each day. Read the latest trends in micro-enterprises, rural start-ups and the shifting livelihoods of India’s villagers.

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Manipur kindergarten kids learn to rock

Pam’s Kindergarten in Ukhrul seamlessly integrates music with the foundations of early education, showcasing the remarkable talents of its young students, particularly with the ukulele.

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How livelihoods of the poor can be strengthened

The two-day Livelihoods India Summit being held in New Delhi brings together about 400 delegates with an aim to foster deliberations on issues relating to livelihoods promotion of the poor.

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Dhokra balances preservation & evolution amidst challenges

Despite the creation of a designated space in the craft city area of Chhattisgarh’s Kondagaon for artisans to work, Dhokra craftsmen still face issues such as not receiving fair prices for their finished products and difficulty in accessing raw materials.

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An elephant on the loom in river island Majuli

Battered by crop depredation and low farm yield, Majuli’s weavers grasp the loom of opportunity, creating not just garments but a narrative woven with threads of hope and transformation.

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Guardians of the hoolock gibbons of Hollongapar

In Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Assam, tourist guides stand as sentinels, ensuring that the echoes of “hook hook hook-ooo” continue to resound through the ancient hollong trees, signalling a harmony between humans and nature.

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Maharashtra’s fiery Bhiwapuri chilli faces extinction

Bhiwapuri chilli, known for its bright red colour, intense heat and cultural significance, is teetering on brink as farmers face low yields and turn towards growing hybrid varieties.

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Kashmir stares at a saffron sunset

Pampore, the hub of Kashmiri saffron, casts a gloomy picture as production of the prized spice declines due to climate change, encroachment of fields, inadequate irrigation and intrusion of cheaper Iranian variants

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Rajanigandha perfumes Odisha’s cyclone-wrecked Ralaba

Ralaba’s rajanigandha fields are a source of livelihood and a testament to a community’s ability to reinvent itself after a natural calamity.

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Maharashtra village strives to preserve ancestral fishing practices

A bunch of determined fisherwomen of Thal village in Maharashtra’s Raigad district are fighting against odds and time to sustain their traditional fishing economy.