Journeys

Fellows reflect on their transformation while navigating through the fellowship journeys

गुलाबी सर्द

ख़ुद की तलाश में उत्तर प्रदेश से निकलकर गुजरात पहुँचा हुआ शिवांशु, बता रहा है उसका सीखने का सफ़र। जो कि गुलाबी सर्द ने उसे याद दिलाया।

आसपुर, राजस्थान के गांव से नेतृत्व बढ़ौती तक का मेरा सफर

आसपुर, राजस्थान के गांव से नेतृत्व बढ़ौती तक का मेरा सफर

मेरा नाम मनीष है और मैं दक्षिणी राजस्थान के डुंगेरपुर जिले के आसपुर कस्बे मे रहता हूँ। डुंगेरपुर जिला आदिवासी क्षेत्र है, यह राजस्थान का बॉर्डर वाला जिला है। इससे आगे गुजरात लगता है और साथ ही मध्यप्रदेश भी। आसपुर में एक बाँध बना हुआ है जो की डुंगेरपुर जिले का सबसे बड़ा...

Exploring Places And More: With A Co-Fellow

Exploring Places And More: With A Co-Fellow

Embarking on a journey to meet my co-fellow and friend, Ritu in her field area turned out to be an incredibly joyous experience. The time we shared, the conversations we had, and the sights we discovered created a beautiful experience. Here are some highlights of this...

Shantaben: A Community Leader In Kutch

Shantaben: A Community Leader In Kutch

I had been waiting for half an hour at Shantaben's house in Juni Ravalwadi, Bhuj, for her to return from the market where she and her husband have gone for the day's business. It's a slightly big but modest hut with terra cotta roof tiles and tarpaulin mixed and...

An Unwavering Commitment To Change: The Story of Mukesh

An Unwavering Commitment To Change: The Story of Mukesh

In a world where job-hopping has become the norm, Mukesh Ji stands out as an exceptional individual who has chosen a different path. For the past 12 years, he has poured his heart and soul into working for a non-profit organization, Shram Sarathi. His unwavering...

Exploring India On Wheels Through My Colorful Lenses

A photo captured from Pauri Garhwal while I was traveling with my colleagues Amir, Shamshad, and Saddam back to Rishikesh. I recently completed 25 years of around the Sun. After this, I felt the need to recollect the most beautiful moments I had spent appreciating...

Living A Precarious Life On The Delta

Living A Precarious Life On The Delta

When I first heard about the Sundarbans I thought to myself ‘Why do people live amidst so much uncertainty?’ In my calculation and world view, the idea of living on islands often struck by cyclones, surrounded by saline water, the fear of attack by a wild animal, and...

Sundarbans: The Mystical Land

Sundarbans: The Mystical Land

India Fellow, as part of the workshops we do all round the year with our fellows, does a travel workshop. As part of this workshop, the fellows visit an ecosystem within India, which is rich in history, culture, geo-politics, ecological uniqueness and hence a...

My Experience Of Living In Rural India

My Experience Of Living In Rural India

As a part of India Fellow, I lived and worked in Kashipur in Rayagada district of Odisha. Here are a few highlights from the 13 month journey: Food Odia food is rice with other items. No meal is complete without rice. I used to get my meals from a mess for INR 2000 a...

From Udaipur, With Love

“Is experiencing village life one of the reasons you joined the fellowship?”“What, no haha. I mean, I know a lot of people are looking forward to that. So, no offense, but I grew up in a village, so not really!”, something I said in the first month of the fellowship,...

To Panna And Kutch: A Travel Workshop

To Panna And Kutch: A Travel Workshop

The India Fellowship ends with a 12-day travel workshop before the endpoint and convocation where the entire cohort of fellows travel to a chosen ecosystem, to understand a particular community, learn from each other and provide collective inputs to address social...

My Year In Poetry

My Year In Poetry

The faces that came along this year I can’t believe it will soon be a year for me in Raigad. In the most nostalgic tone of Mr. Olivander of Harry Potter, “It seems only yesterday I was walking down the market, buying my first mattress”. I remember my initial days, how...

Life Lessons From A Year Spent In The ‘Other’ India

Life Lessons From A Year Spent In The ‘Other’ India

It has been more than 10 months since I, along with 21 others, set out on a journey to learn about and understand India at the grassroots. In all honesty, this has been one mixed bag of a year. Some expectations I harbored remained unmet while some hopes I never knew...

From A Lonely Corner In The Island Of Utopia

From A Lonely Corner In The Island Of Utopia

When we fly high in the garb of achieving zenith,A deep sense of empowerment soars through our blood,And adrenaline keeps the excitement intact,Yes, that is indeed the excitement of Utopia.The urge to achieve the unattainable! On a lazy summer afternoon, I lay back...