Sounds of Rapar

Sounds of Rapar

Rapar is a taluka of Bhuj District in Gujarat. It is an agrarian economy primarily but currently it is turning into a mining region.

Inked In Tradition: The Tattoos Of Bind Community

Inked In Tradition: The Tattoos Of Bind Community

People in India have been using permanent tattoos on the skin for more than a century. Each clan had a distinctive personality frequently characterised by a large size tattoo. There are many social justifications for doing it in these communities. Most people nowadays...

On Not Showing Up : Chronicling A Recruitment Experience

On Not Showing Up : Chronicling A Recruitment Experience

It takes effort to put together a resume but more so, to list down your life to achievements, interests and experiences. While listing these down, there’s also a lot of internal loss felt. An attempt to make white out of the rainbow colors (without a prism). And then...

Beyond Identity: The Power of Genuine Connection

Beyond Identity: The Power of Genuine Connection

Lately, I've been thinking about my true identity and how I introduce myself when asked who I am. It's intriguing how different people perceive my identity, which also varies depending on the location and context of our meeting. For example, during my India Fellow...

Forty Minutes Of A Monday Morning At A School In Bhuj

Forty Minutes Of A Monday Morning At A School In Bhuj

Waking up by 7:00 AM is my definition of waking up early. The morning follows its motions. A bath to freshen up the body, a book to gently wake up the mind, and a cup of warm tea to bring ease and lubricate all the cogs in me. And with this reawakened self I leave for...

Can Challenges Be Blessings In Disguise?

Can Challenges Be Blessings In Disguise?

Introduction The past seven months have been a period of self-reflection and transformation. Where I have questioned my preconceived notions and expanded my understanding. The India Fellow program has presented me with numerous opportunities to explore new...

Why I Find Myself In The Kitchen, More Than I Realise 

Why I Find Myself In The Kitchen, More Than I Realise 

It didn't occur to me until I was excitedly narrating the story of how I ended up making puris with the cooks at my office Diwali get-together, dressed in a full-sleeved shirt and trousers. Amused and laughing, my mentor asked me, "How is it that you always find your...

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...

Addressing Mental Health Challenges for Women in India

Addressing Mental Health Challenges for Women in India

Introduction Mental health is as vital as physical health and should be approached with the same openness and comfort. It plays a crucial role in our overall well-being, influencing our thoughts, emotions, choices, and actions. Unfortunately, in India, discussions...

About Endless Possibilities And A Library Workshop In Goa

Library to me is a mosaic, a beautiful patchwork of ideas, people, and stories sewn together by books and our humanness. It is a place where I slow down and marvel at the pages filled with pictures, illustrations, colours and their various textures. It is a place of...

A Year In The Gojri Calendar

Winters are here and at the start of December, all the colorful kambals (coarse woolen blanket or shawl) are out. Days are short and people get done with their dinners early. More cups of steamy tea are consumed while sitting arond the fireplace. During the evenings,...

Rehan And Patwan – A System of Mortgaging Agricultural Land

Rehan And Patwan – A System of Mortgaging Agricultural Land

In rural India, where a significant portion of agricultural land is cultivated by tenant farmers, the practice of renting farmland is illegal. As a result, tenant farmers face limitations in accessing government assistance and farming markets. However, an informal...

The Art Of Spinning : My First-Time Experience

The Art Of Spinning : My First-Time Experience

It's a flower. A flower unlike anything you and I have ever seen. Within it something white in colour and made of the thinnest of strands all held together in a ball with strength that's a mere suggestion. You can pull it from one side and it stretches further and...