Field Stories

These stories bring out the real-life narratives, moments, and experiences, highlighting the stories and voices of the communities our fellows work with

भुखमरी

भुखमरी

भुखमरी शब्द से आम तौर पे हम समझते हैं भूख के कारण लोगों का तड़पना या उनको खाना...

हमाल भाइयों का आंदोलन किस लिए?

हमाल भाइयों का आंदोलन किस लिए?

'आवाज दो हम एक है... 'हम हमारा अधिकार मांगते, नहीं किसी से भीख मांगते', 'हमाल एकता जिंदाबाद' - ऐसे घोषणा देते हुए सुमेरपुर, पाली, राजस्थान में हमालों का आंदोलन हुआ। १८ दिसंबर को अंतरराष्ट्रीय प्रवासी दिवस पर यह आंदोलन करके हमाल मजदूरों ने अपनी मांगे प्रशासन के सामने...

Mautana: Dilemma Of A Dead Body

Mautana: Dilemma Of A Dead Body

Tribal culture is the primitive culture of prehistoric era. Today, tribal groups are settled on different Padas (pieces of land). Even though the distance between the tribal people living in valleys and cities is decreasing with the increasing transportation...

Dalsinghsarai: A Place Allowing Me To Challenge Myself

I was standing alongside a brown stray dog, both of us patiently waiting on one side of the railway track. A train was expected to pass and the tracks had been temporarily shut. Along with the dog and me, there were many more people waiting – a woman on a scooter with...

Lanji’s Quest For Education And A Better Life

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

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...

Working With Minimum Resources, With Those Who Have Nothing

Picture by Mahir Bhatt, a 2017 fellow Trigger Warning: This is a case of suicide, as narrated by Sister Rani, a senior nurse at Swasthya Swaraj in Kalahandi, Odisha There was a sudden hustle in the clinic, almost a sort of panic as a tribal woman was brought carried...

Of Windmills And Women

Of Windmills And Women

“I ask you to leave your home, the clothes you wear, the family you love, and all that surrounds you because tomorrow, I will build a mall on the above the stacked pyres of your identity. You can’t fathom it. You won’t. Why must I? Why must your development come at...

‘Postnatal Care’ In Rural, Tribal Villages Of Southern Rajasthan

‘Postnatal Care’ In Rural, Tribal Villages Of Southern Rajasthan

Ramila* is a 22 year old woman who lives in Hathiya Talai, a village in Gogunda block of Udaipur, Rajasthan. Ramila had high fever on the third day after her delivery. Her baby died on the second day. “There was no breast milk and the baby would just not open her...

Of Clay And Mirrors [A Visual Story]

Of Clay And Mirrors [A Visual Story]

When Argaben begins pinching and shaping the clay dough, she's not doing so to put on a show. Yet, when she breathes life into the otherwise lifeless lump of clay, shaping different patterns and designs, we all watch in awe. The freehand work from memory. The fluidity...

Ghost Towns Of Banswara, Rajasthan

Ghost Towns Of Banswara, Rajasthan

Migration for work is etched into the identity of several districts that fall within the perimeter of Southern Rajasthan's tribal belt. Hundreds of private buses ply each day, carrying thousands across borders to cities like Ahmedabad, Surat and Mumbai. A range of...

What It Means To Work With A Community

What It Means To Work With A Community

We were in Sillet, an isolated village that has no electricity, no telecom signal and no water. We had heard that the people from this village had a problem with us - Swasthya Swaraj. It had something to do with a small facility that we were trying to set up in the...

Sorry Harry, But It’s Time We Talk About The Potters Of Khavda

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...

On Gender And Local Governance

On Gender And Local Governance

As someone who chose to immerse herself into a fellowship program, straight after attending an all-women’s college, the transition to truly accepting the fact that “Change is slow” is still underway. While attending meetings, trainings and interacting with Local...