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.
Livelihoods
Sun-dried vegetables find “flavour” in Kashmiri kitchens
Sun-drying summer vegetables, an ancient Kashmiri practice to make up for lack of fresh produce in the harsh winters, are still in demand thanks to their distinct flavour and the increasingly early onset of winters.
Ferocious river threatens potters’ livelihood
The 500-year-old legacy of Majuli Island’s potters is at risk as the River Brahmaputra slowly swallows their land and, ironically, measures to prevent erosion only add to the potter’s woes, never mind the next generation’s lack of interest in the art.
Tourism-dependent islanders struggle to stay afloat
Villagers in Elephanta Island were filled with hope when tourism resumed after the COVID-19 lockdowns. But with fear of a third wave and few tourists showing up, they begin the new year with apprehensions.
Women in Naxal hotbed “scoop up” sitaphal income
Tribal women in the Naxal stronghold of Bastar "scoop up" a fruitful income by harvesting custard apples and extracting the pulp, meeting the growing demand of urban India and foreign markets.
Odiya tribes discover the wonders of millets
Being climate-resilient and needing less water – never mind being super nutritious – millets are becoming the crop of choice for Odiya tribes, thanks to the state government’s Odisha Millets Mission.
Earning a lakh from half an acre
Blood, sweat and a little land: how the frail but hardy Pushpa Chhetri earns over a lakh from her half-acre plot of land in Assam.
Farming youth feel emboldened
As the year-long farmers’ protest comes to an end after the government scrapped three contentious farm laws, young people in the farming communities, especially from Haryana and Punjab, feel emboldened by the movement's success.
Rajasthani women stitch their way to high fashion
A young woman’s idea of putting her embroidery skills to good use has resulted in a fashion brand that now employs 22,000 rural artisans and even weathered the pandemic by nimbly setting up online store.
Naga tourism takes a hit due to violence
Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival – a much-awaited cultural extravaganza – was called off because of violence in the region. This comes as local tourism was already suffering because of the pandemic.