In my second week at Swasthya Swaraj, I traveled with two of our team members...
Dream A Little Dream Of Me…
Trigger Warning: Mentions rape, suicide. 'Didi vo thodi pagal hai, usko...
I Pick Up My Trash Because It Matters If I Don’t: Why Plastic Must Exit Our Lives
As a part of Justice-Makers' Writer's Training Program by Youth Ki Awaaz...
‘Sweep’ Under The Rug Much? How We Ignore The Reality Of Who Cleans India
Rehabilitated manual scavenger, Maya Sangeliya, 45, looks on inside her house....
14,53,973 Women Representatives Elected In Panchayats; But Who’s Really In Charge?
After India gained independence, Gandhi observed, “As long as women of India...
What A Kilometre Long Road In South Delhi Tells You About Social Structures
Recently, I relocated to Delhi. I was fortunate enough to have friends who...
Re-imagining Freedom Of Children In Classroom
It's been over two years since we started living with the Corona Virus and the...
Charcha – An Ode To Math and Science
A typical day at Aavishkaar begins with a Charcha (discussion) - the entire...
Human Capital Crisis In The Social Sector
During our India Fellow midpoint training in Udaipur, we got to be a part of multiple readings, presentations, activities and a ton of discussions. One such discussion that stayed with me and made me want to think more about, was with Rajiv Khandelwal, co-founder of...
Teachers’ Psyche During Covid Times
Is it easy for a teacher to teach? I am currently working in the field of education with Agastya International Foundation, my fellowship host organization, primarily on teacher training. Through my work, I get the opportunity to interact with various teachers...
Dialogue And Democracy: Understanding Theatre Of The Oppressed
Paulo Friere was a renowned Brazilian educator and philosopher. As a leading advocate of critical pedagogy that views teaching as a political act, indistinct from issues of social justice and democracy, predicated on fostering agency, empowering learners and...
What Being Restricted Taught Me About Empowerment
As I work with Shram Sarathi in Gogunda block of Udaipur, Rajasthan, if I have to talk about the most epic ways of local commute, I'll tell you this... The field areas, though accessible through public transport, still require one to navigate a few kilometres on foot,...
Education And Internet
While assisting a class 10 child studying in an IB School, I learned that his school does not have textbooks. Notebooks are used only for Science, Maths, and Art. Kids carry iPads/Laptops and mobile phones to school. Free wifi is provided. Students borrow type-C and...
Is Environment A Labour Issue?
Early last month, I watched Seaspiracy, Kip Anderson's second project to shed light upon a new dimension of the human-made environmental crisis. It's a documentary film that takes the viewer into the literal and metaphorical depths of the crisis unfolding at the seas,...
Failing And Moving From Making Agriculture Work For Rural Youth
Born and brought up in Delhi, I had a fascination to get an exposure to the grassroots of India and see the rural realities in its raw form. To pursue this, I joined India Fellow, a social leadership program. As a part of that, I was placed with Shramik Bharti, an...
Responding To Covid-19 In Rural India: An overview Of Our Approach In Southern Rajasthan
Note: This is a version of a document presenting the strategy of Aajeevika Bureau, Basic Healthcare Services (BHS) and Shram Sarathi, working in Southern Rajasthan. I wrote this along with my mentor Dr. Sanjana Mohan Brahmawar, co-founder and director at BHS. ...
We Couldn’t Take Our Masks Off, We Couldn’t Drink Water
Picture from the archives of Setu Abhiyan - Urban team It is a cold December evening and the chilly wind is blowing the plastic shelter of the outside of the house, back and forth. Seated on the plastic rug fashioned from old 20kg cement bags, I make my notes under...
Those Who Fall Between The Cracks – Where Do They Go?
This lockdown was supposed to be different. Wasn’t everything planned to seem much more normal than last year? There are no heartbreaking images of migrants walking back hundreds of kilometres or those of workers stuck at inter-state bus terminals waiting to go back...
Role Of Safai Saathi In The Waste Value Chain
Safai Saathi Safai Saathi is anyone who works towards the betterment of the environment in any form. There are many Invisible Environmentalists around us who we fail to acknowledge in daily life. Have you ever noticed the lady walking with the huge white bag on her...
Burden Off The Shoulders
A story of how an old debt repayment turned out to be transformational for a rural household Pana Ram* felt vulnerable and trapped. His only son was terribly ill since the last 5 months. Multiple visits to faith healers, local Bangali doctors (quacks) and even a few...
Bursting Myths And Building Trust: Reflections From Working With A Tribal Community In Rural Rajasthan
In the months of April and May 2020, when there was a nationwide lockdown, AMRIT clinics (run by Basic Healthcare Services), supported by Aajeevika Bureau were busy distributing food packets and ration in remote villages of Southern Rajasthan. Many families in this...
Aspirations Of Youth In Jamui, Rural Bihar
Introduction Young people are agents of change in a country. Youth can be termed as a “transition period while the individuals prepare themselves to become responsible and productive citizens of the country”. Different organizations define the youth age group...