भुज भारत के उत्तर-पश्चिम भाग में रहस्य की भूमि कच्छ जिले में स्थित हैं।...
Sickle Cell Anemia And A Day In The Life Of A Counsellor
On 8th August 2023, I accompanied Laxmi Patkar, a counsellor at Jan Swasthya...
From Dacoity To Prosperity In Karauli, Rajasthan
Ever heard of Phoolan Devi, the famous daaku (bandit) from the Chambal region?...
A Thousand Thoughts Of Ravi, A Rural Boy
A fictional retelling based on true events
जानकी अम्मा – एक विश्वास और उम्मीद
जन स्वास्थ्य सहयोग (JSS) छत्तीसगढ़ के बिलासपुर जिले में एक छोटे से गाँव गनियारी...
हुर्रा, एक सामुदायिक युवा
सुदूर इलाके में स्थित एक गाँव है, मिनपा, जिसकी जनसंख्या महज़ 900 के आस पास है।...
Rohit, A Young Boy From Bania Chapar
In the heart of Bania Chapar, a village nestled in the rolling landscapes of...
Shantaben: A Community Leader In Kutch
I had been waiting for half an hour at Shantaben's house in Juni Ravalwadi,...
Lanji’s Quest For Education And A Better Life
Based on a narration by Lanji Majhi We all have had some old person trying to put us in perspective by sharing stories of how they once used to walk to school, everyday with heavy books in their bags. Well, the story that has been narrated to me by Lanji, a...
My Friend Azzli
I opened the door of our Drop-in Centre and found a short-statured dusky woman, who had her pallu wound around her face, as if it were band-aid. And this kids, is how I met your…I mean, my best friend – Azzli*. In the beginning of the fellowship, new to the whole, “Ye...
Of Partition, Earthquake And Community Festivals: How Kharad Artisans Double Up As Storytellers
“You are looking at a handmade, natural-dyed Kharad painstakingly made by my son Samat and I,” says Tejsibhai Dhana Marwada, letting the coarse, flat-woven rug slowly drop to the floor revealing a design in intense colors of black, white and dark brown. “But most of...
Sorry Harry, But It’s Time We Talk About The Potters Of Khavda
In the Harry Potter universe, magic is the heart and soul of the wizarding culture. It sets the wizards and the witches apart from their Muggle neighbours. While Ismailbhai Kumbhar, may pass off as a Muggle, in this context, he doesn't need an Albus Dumbledore or a...
Why Mansukhbhai Is “Not Okay” With Being Bela’s Last Hand Block Printer
Mansukh Pitambar Khatri looks painfully scrawny and impossibly gnarled, as he bends over a long table spread with a beige cloth. He certainly looks suited to his trade, as he continues to work, oblivious to the heat, using astonishing muscle memory while printing a...
How The Khatris Are Bringing Josh To Rogan
Mohmad Hanif Arab Khatri comfortably seats himself on the floor. Stretched out before him is a piece of blue cloth, pinned on either side to the legs of a low-length table. Reaching for his dibbi, he pulls out a stylus and a blob of a thick brownish gelatinous...
How Shakil Bhai is Printing a Different Story, One Block at a Time
It's dirty, noisy and crowded. There's wastewater flowing in from one side. Cows and dogs are picking through piles of garbage, hunting for leftovers. There's an unpleasant stench wafting in the air. It isn't the most welcoming sight to witness, not...
A Model Sarpanch And Red Bindis
“Where do women and girls want to go and what do they want?” Until the day I visited a Sarpanch for the first time, as a part of my field visits, I realized that I had not given much thought to the little dots that we like to place on our foreheads as ‘bindis’. For...
Inside Sharma Ji’s Religious Haven
Baldev Sharma's* shop where you'll find idols of gods and goddesses belonging to Hindu, Jain and Buddhist faiths, most of which have been carved on order by customers for various temples and homes. Hailing from a lineage of sculptors, Sharma ji, almost on cue, begins...
From Waste To Wealth – The Story of Rajiben Vankar
Take a peak into the rise of Rajiben Vankar, as she paved her way from a weaver to an eco-entrepreneur
Kanku Ben: A Model Sarpanch
“I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.”- Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar This blog is based on a telephonic interview of Kanku Ben taken by me. However, the whole conversation was in Hindi which has been translated, not word...
Taniya Parveen: A Journey of Hope and Aspirations
"You need to step out to know the world outside" - Taniya From Saradhi, Bangalwa village in Munger district of Bihar, where most girls are forced to stay at home and are valued with respect to their ability to do the household chores; a young girl Taniya Praveen is...
Inspiring Stories Of Everyday Heroes Often Known As Nurses
I am really grateful to have gotten an opportunity to work alongside these extraordinary women who are game changers in their own way.
Vittyasaathi – A Lifestory
A bleak light begins to flicker in one of Kathotia village’s households at 3 am. A long day awaits Sabo Devi*. She brews herself some tea, feeds and cleans the cow, gets ready and is on her way to work by 5 o’clock. Her daughter, Julie*, takes care of every other...