Cigarettes, Beedis And The In-Between

Cigarettes, Beedis And The In-Between

I grew up in Calcutta watching everyone from my father to the cobbler to the Chief Minister smoke, and how. The sight of greying old men, corporate white-collars and hair-gelled high-schoolers waiting for the bus, with cigarettes in hand (Silk Cut, Classic Milds and...

बदलाव और सोनी बावरी

बदलाव और सोनी बावरी

यह कहानी राजस्थान के सवाई माधोपुर जिले में स्थित एक गांव में बावरी बस्ती समुदाय में रहने वाली लड़की सोनी बावरी की है। यह अभी नवरंग प्रोग्राम में शिक्षा साथी के रूप में कार्य कर रही है। नवरंग प्रोग्राम ग्रामीण शिक्षा केंद्र द्वारा संचालित किया जा रहा एक...

Allegory Of The Cave: In Social Work

Allegory Of The Cave: In Social Work

Plato's (an ancient Greek philosopher) Allegory of the cave is a philosophical dialogue. He presents it in his work 'The Republic' where he describes a group of people who live in a cave since childhood. They have chains around their bodies that keep them in one place...

Kalamaitri – A Collective Run Enterprise

Kalamaitri – A Collective Run Enterprise

In an ideal world, collectives would be catalysts for societal progress, acting as agents of change. Throughout history, revolutions, social movements, and grassroots organizations have emerged to challenge oppressive systems. The advocate for human rights, and demand...

Design Thinking Is A Mindset, Not Just A Skill

Design thinking is often seen as a skill exclusive to professional designers. I used to think the same, until recently. The midpoint training at India Fellow was my first exposure to the topic. After the session, we got to interact with Mudita from The Design Village....

Dying Children And Dead Living Rooms

Until a few months back, when I saw parents coming in with really sick children but not looking concerned enough, it was unbelievable. Basic Healthcare Services, where I work as a fellow, runs Amrit Clinics located in remote tribal villages of southern Rajasthan. We...

Journey Of Gulab Buffalos’ Milk

Journey Of Gulab Buffalos’ Milk

Study of Van Gujjar settlements and their spatial utilization by understanding everyday activities, resources management and commons distribution across the landscape specially Buffalos' Milk. Asama from Kunao, Rajaji National Park got up at 4am. She needs to complete...

Ethical Conflicts Of A Non-Profit Working On Financial Inclusion

Ethical Conflicts Of A Non-Profit Working On Financial Inclusion

Imagine, you are standing next to train tracks and you see a train coming. There are five people tied up on the tracks, they will die if the train keeps going. But there is a lever next to you that you could pull to switch the train onto a different track. However,...

Whom Does The Forest Belong To?

Whom Does The Forest Belong To?

All about the game of resources and identities, understanding intersectionality with respect to the reserves of Uttarakhand and the politics around it “Hey, hello, you, who are you? What are you doing here?” A forest guard asked me when I was going around for some...

Walking In & Out Of My Omelas

Walking In & Out Of My Omelas

'Omelas' is a fictional city described in the short story 'The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas' by Ursula K. Le Guin, a celebrated author, published in 1973. It presents a moral dilemma by exploring the idea of a society, where citizens are happy and prosperous....

‘Theatre Of The Oppressed’ As A Tool For Social Change

‘Theatre Of The Oppressed’ As A Tool For Social Change

Post the earthquake of 2001, Kutch has seen rapid industrialisation and urbanisation. This has accelerated more in the past decade. This has had a two-fold effect on the environment and on human relationships in the region. Alongside, the political climate of India,...

Of Children And Childhood – What Are They Thinking?

Of Children And Childhood – What Are They Thinking?

Part of how Basic Healthcare Services takes care of the community’s health is through its Phulwaris, the day care centres. In areas that are off route (what is the route anyway? And what makes so many people build houses so far from each other and so far up the hill?)...

Learning From Cognitive Biases And Using Them To My Advantage

Learning From Cognitive Biases And Using Them To My Advantage

As someone who has been fascinated by the mysteries of the human mind, the concept of cognition and how it influences our decision-making has always piqued my interest. During my mid-point training as an India Fellow, I was introduced to the concept of cognitive...