Winter is here and it comes with warm sweaters, shawls and rajais. Sheep wool,...
Chhath Puja In Bihar: A Celebration Of Four Days
What is Chhath Puja? Chhath Puja is an yearly four daylong celebration. It is...
हैंडीक्राफ़्ट के दाम इतने महंगे क्यों है?
हैंडीक्राफ़्ट यानी हाथ से बना सामान। जब भी मैं इनके बारे में सुनता हूँ तो एक...
जैविक खेती और कुछ पुरानी पद्दति का विश्लेषण
जब हम अपने आस पास खेतों में लहलहाती फसलों को देखते हैं तो लगता है कि हमारा देश...
The Janmashtami Of Ratnal
Ratnal is a small village, spread on both sides of a highway connecting Bhuj...
Work, Worship And Waterbody
Dear Reader, You probably don’t know me. But if there was one thing I’d like...
The Story Of Thoriyari Village Pond
Thoriyari village pond is a place to visit, a great learning resource to...
Fakirani Jats Of Kutch, Gujarat
Since I started working in the corporate IT industry, I've always been away...
Searching For Feminism In Rural Uttar Pradesh
About three weeks back while I was sitting in my balcony, observing the commotion on the road and thinking about the last 8 months that I have spent in Kantain village of Sitapur district in Uttar Pradesh, several thoughts ran through my mind. It was a mixed bag, of...
I Do Not Ask A Child “If You Go To School” Anymore!
Among them was a baby girl aged 10 months (however appeared to be no less than 3 months old). She was suffering from both Severe Acute Malnutrition and Tuberculosis. It was an image that has distraught me till date.
हम लड़ेंगे साथी, गुलाम इच्छाओं के लिए
मैंने खुद को 'कुंचोली' पंचायत के एक छोटे से गाँव में पाया, जहाँ एक मकान निर्माणाधीन था. उस दृश्य को मैंने तस्वीर में कैद करने की कोशिश की. अवतार सिंह संधू 'पाश' पंजाबी कविता जगत के जाने - माने - चाहे जाने वाले कवि हैं. पंजाबी भाषा के सीमित ज्ञान के कारण, मैंने उनकी...
Development At The Cost Of Environment
One Saturday, I was returning from school with Pratap, a colleague who was telling me about an interactive session on ‘Open Schooling’ which was going to happen in Dantewada the same evening. I was curious about it and excited to attended the session. Dantewada is...
A Hard-To-Forget Conversation With A Woman
Two years since, I still can't forget her face. She was wearing a plain Olive Green sari. We were sitting together in a dimly lit medium-sized room built of bricks, in a village near Sant Kabir Nagar (originally Khalilabad), Uttar Pradesh. It was late into the...
In Search Of Hidma
Image clicked by Sandesh (blog author) in one of his field outings in Sukma, Chattisgarh, where he is placed as a fellow with Shiksharth, a non-profit working towards education amongst tribal children. “It’s been many days now! When will he come? Can someone please...
Gun License, Hindu Identity: In Conversation With Locals Of Sitapur
While talking with people over snacks, there is so much that I learn about this place and its surrounding areas. The topic of gun license came up when I was interacting with parents of a girl, whom I teach in a school here at Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh (UP). It...
About A Windy Night in Jiri
When time was closing in for Durov, after a long arduous journey, on the evening of 18th day of June, he sat down and imagined the day when his fate was declared. He could not refrain himself from thinking of that evening, which was still clear in his head. The first...
Viewing Mental Health From A Care Giver’s Lens
The brain is a fascinating organ. While I’m writing this, I realize that the brain is narcissistic as well. If we believe that it controls all of our bodily functions, then right now, this organ is just singing its own praise. Let that sink in for a moment. Please...
An Evening at an Urban Slum of Kanpur
I recently got a chance to visit Shramik Bharti, an organization majorly working in urban and rural areas of Kanpur, on integrated development including micro-finance, livelihood, energy, agriculture as well as sanitation & hygiene. Co-incidentally, the day I was...
An Episode of Complete Disbelief in Bhawanipatna
While working with Swasthya Swaraj, getting back to my field area in Bhawanipatna, Odisha, after a week is always exhilarating. I feel like I've done enough and now is the time for weekend reward. Throughout the week, I work at Kerpai village. When I initially came...
About This Summer in Jalna
The Indian summer is great. It is that time of the year when we feel a stronger connection with the Himalayas. Not so much about soul-searching but to stay clear of the incomprehensible heat. I’ll gladly take a cold-storage mango in Winter, thank you! But another...
Friday Phenomenon In Schools : Eggs & Bananas
I believe that every problem in the universe has a cause and one or more solution(s). Before getting on to the Friday phenomenon as mentioned in the headline, I'd like to talk about the mid-day meal (MDM) program in schools. Interestingly, the history of Pondicherry...
From Durga to ‘Hudur Durga’: The Other Side Of The Story
Durga puja – the name is more than sufficient to bring joy and thrill among Bengalis. Durga Puja is not only a festival in West Bengal but it is an integral part of life for the people living here. You can sense the enthusiasm, the charisma in the air and people...