Kambadiya Devipujaks : The Worshippers Of Devi

Kambadiya Devipujaks : The Worshippers Of Devi

Most of my time spent in Kutch is with the communities on urban Bhuj, specifically slum areas. I go for regular visits to their places to meet the Kishoris (adolscent girls). As part of my project with Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS), we work towards the...

Possible Consequences Of Women Not Knowing Their Bodies

Possible Consequences Of Women Not Knowing Their Bodies

I was on a patient visit, to understand why some of our TB diagnosed patients were not consuming their medicines and to further motivate them to eat, take care and routinely consume their medicines. On one such visit we came across a home besides a corn field where a...

Batik From The Lanes Of Ujjain [A Photo Story]

Batik From The Lanes Of Ujjain [A Photo Story]

The word 'Batik' which translates to wax writing is a form of wax resist dyeing of fabric. Even though the exact point of origin of Batik is still undiscovered, the history can be traced back to two thousand years ago in countries like India, Indonesia and Japan...

Leveraging Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in Development Sector

Leveraging Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in Development Sector

A Public Private Partnership (PPP) is essentially a contractual relationship between a public sector authority and one or more private parties. In the development sector, the concept shifts the role of the government bodies from delivering services directly, to...

Doing “Dirty Work”: The Midwives Of Rural Bihar Come Clean

Doing “Dirty Work”: The Midwives Of Rural Bihar Come Clean

Cleanliness is also a big facet of the work of midwives. An essential component to understanding their responsibilities is caste. This is a representational image. “Who will I teach? They all tell me, ‘Who will do this hellish work? It is dirty and I feel...

Is Our Education System Irrelevant To The Tribal Children?

Is Our Education System Irrelevant To The Tribal Children?

In my second week at Swasthya Swaraj, I traveled with two of our team members to Taramundi, a beautiful hamlet in rural Odisha. Our team working on education in the region, had been receiving complaints that the classes are not regular here. We weren’t able to reach...

Dream A Little Dream Of Me…

Dream A Little Dream Of Me…

Trigger Warning: Mentions rape, suicide. 'Didi vo thodi pagal hai, usko samjhao kuch.' Asmina's* mother alleges her daughter to be 'out of her mind'. The 15-year-old bright girl rolls her eyes in return. She smirks at me, her smile though lights up her face,...

Re-imagining Freedom Of Children In Classroom

It's been over two years since we started living with the Corona Virus and the uncertainty that it brings. During this time, many perspectives, habits, ideologies, methodologies, and even lifestyles have seen evolution in ways we had not fathomed. A densely populated...

The Fading Smiles of ODISHA : Laws and Ignorance

The Fading Smiles of ODISHA : Laws and Ignorance

While walking through various routes in Odisha, whether it be rural or urban pathways, one would truly see the gaps in development. The disparity between the development index, as compared to other states, is huge. However, there is one common thing that exists here...