The Best, The Craziest And The Weirdest

This blog is about my experiences with the local community and, in my humble opinion, their subtle, loud, huge and tiny aspects of daily lives. It is about the ways in which they show respect to elders, a ritual for one of the Hindu Gods and an English word quite...

When Urdu Felt Like Home

One of my biggest challenges until now, in the last 6 months of fellowship, has been the language barrier between the community and me. I work in the rural areas of Odisha near Cuttack and Kendrapara, where Oriya is the major spoken language. I had wanted to write...

A Culture Tied With Trade

I have been really lucky that within these four months in Odisha, I witnessed two of the most amazing and unique festivals. The one that just happened was Bali Yatra, which became a bigger event this year because of its tie-up with the Hockey World Cup being organized...

Bringing About A Much Needed Change In Rural Odisha

“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and the world better than you found it” – Martin Wright Edelman Across several districts in Odisha, the kids rise and shine much before the school bell rings. They are all excited and...