In the heart of Bania Chapar, a village nestled in the rolling landscapes of...
Arranging For A Table And Pulling Some Chairs
I am working with Khamir on creating a craft curriculum and delivering it in...
Women Embracing Digital Technology: Challenges & Opportunities
I spent approximately six months in Maheshwar, living cashless and relying...
Encouraging Curiosity And Imagination Through Children’s Literature
Working and learning with children is about meeting serendipitous joys! While...
Families Migrating From Kushalgarh In Distress
The only thing more unthinkable than leaving was staying, the only thing more...
सामुदायिक पुस्तकालय – एक अनोखा संगम
कहानी, कविता, पाठ्यपुस्तकें, नाटक, शायरी, चुट्कुले, विज्ञान, सामाजिक विज्ञान...
From Fear To Empowerment: Navigating Gender Politics And Insecurity
I had just finished my day with receiving appreciation for the depth achieved...
Shantaben: A Community Leader In Kutch
I had been waiting for half an hour at Shantaben's house in Juni Ravalwadi,...
Why The Poor Make Expensive Health Choices
Imagine you are a middle aged man living in rural India. For years now, you have seen the government health sub-center behind your home shut. When it occasionally opens, it is for a short time and seems like it is only for name sake. But when you or your...
Viewing Mental Health From A Care Giver’s Lens
The brain is a fascinating organ. While I’m writing this, I realize that the brain is narcissistic as well. If we believe that it controls all of our bodily functions, then right now, this organ is just singing its own praise. Let that sink in for a moment. Please...
Pillachor a.k.a The Child Kidnapper in Odisha
"If you are to become a professional, then this look is unacceptable." "Son, you also have to consider what others will think" "Are you a stoner?" Considering that in my family, most men adorn a shining head, I decided to cherish my hair as long as I could. "What harm...
An Evening at an Urban Slum of Kanpur
I recently got a chance to visit Shramik Bharti, an organization majorly working in urban and rural areas of Kanpur, on integrated development including micro-finance, livelihood, energy, agriculture as well as sanitation & hygiene. Co-incidentally, the day I was...
Achieving Eco Friendliness in a Village of Odisha – A Comic
If you want to appreciate this comic, or have questions about my reduced-waste life here with Agragamee in Odisha, please let me know in comments below.
An Episode of Complete Disbelief in Bhawanipatna
While working with Swasthya Swaraj, getting back to my field area in Bhawanipatna, Odisha, after a week is always exhilarating. I feel like I've done enough and now is the time for weekend reward. Throughout the week, I work at Kerpai village. When I initially came...
About This Summer in Jalna
The Indian summer is great. It is that time of the year when we feel a stronger connection with the Himalayas. Not so much about soul-searching but to stay clear of the incomprehensible heat. I’ll gladly take a cold-storage mango in Winter, thank you! But another...
Radio Has a Special Place in the Heart of Rural India
“It has been 11 years but I still remember the day when my 12th grade results were to come. I was eagerly waiting since morning. Those days, we didn't have internet. Radio was the only medium. My father was a keen radio listener and I recall how he sat throughout the...
Why Doctors Don’t Want To Work In Rural Areas
When I was doing my medical house surgeon-ship in Mangalore a few years ago, Karnataka government was planning to implement compulsory rural service for house surgeons in the state. This news was not taken in a positive light by the doctors which eventually led to...
We Are In A Crisis We Don’t Acknowledge
I was sitting on an uber comfortable Barcalounger with gigantic headphone over my ears. An ethereal voice was asking me to close my eyes, relax, think of something that makes me happy and form a picture of said happiness in my mind. Next thing I knew, I was being...
Friday Phenomenon In Schools : Eggs & Bananas
I believe that every problem in the universe has a cause and one or more solution(s). Before getting on to the Friday phenomenon as mentioned in the headline, I'd like to talk about the mid-day meal (MDM) program in schools. Interestingly, the history of Pondicherry...
Hallucinations To Reality: Child Sexual Abuse And Parenting
There are only a few people to whom I'm really close. One of them is a classmate I know since 6 years. We met in college and graduated together. Socially, he is extremely awkward and an introvert who is fascinated by trains. I have never met him after college. In...
Lessons From a Temporary Illness : Looking Through a Glass
The last quarter of 2017 has been quite weird. I’ve been privy to something remarkably out of my comfort zone, and in turn, have put many people out of theirs. But, that's a debate for the more refined minds. India Fellow is like that freaky mirror in Lewis Carrol’s...
Why Farmers Are Growing Cotton When Water Is Scarce
“I wish they'd had electric guitars in cotton fields back in the good old days. A whole lot of things would've been straightened out.” -Jimi Hendrix, 1970 YES, if the ‘whole lot of things’ were farmers wanting to form a band but a NO if it were racial conflicts and...