At my home sits a wet mixer grinder since 25 years, manufactured by Butterfly,...
From Dacoity To Prosperity In Karauli, Rajasthan
Ever heard of Phoolan Devi, the famous daaku (bandit) from the Chambal region?...
Who Are The Baigas?
My India Fellow journey got more purposeful when I reached Chhattisgarh after...
Learnings From A Craft Mela In Kutch
Experiential Learning is something that we have all heard of. Same is the case...
Amplifying Community Voices: Inclusive Radio Programming
In this digital age, media plays a vital role in shaping our society. Ensuring...
Water: From Scarcity To Abundance
"Come, come, sit under the tree. Yes, it's scorching hot anyways. Shall I make...
Rural Banks And The Blame Game
"The worst service I've ever got..." Those were my words as an unsatisfied...
Community Policing Programme In Kushalgarh
A society that normalises and neglects violence against women slowly develops...
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...
The Times Of Non-Linearity
I don't think cat videos represent the funniest aspects of the internet. Let's be honest here. It has more to do with how seamlessly you can transition from Donald Trump to Donald Duck and watch two whole episodes of Uncle Scrooge before you ask yourself, "what am I...
From Durga to ‘Hudur Durga’: The Other Side Of The Story
Durga puja – the name is more than sufficient to bring joy and thrill among Bengalis. Durga Puja is not only a festival in West Bengal but it is an integral part of life for the people living here. You can sense the enthusiasm, the charisma in the air and people...
The Nights Were Dark And Full of Terror – Odisha And Education
After spending month in Kalahandi, experiencing almost all sorts of adventure, I ask myself, “Could there be anything left to see?” I have seen death as well as new life coming into this world in front of my eyes. One week I was supposed to visit a village on the...
Mass Hysteria And Opinions – Story Of Kanpur Dehat
I am writing to tell you about an incident that shook me due to the incredulous nature of the story that got fabricated around it which still confounds me as to why that girl died. A number of conjectures it generated in order to piece together the character and the...
The Story Of The Black Angrez Of Rajasthan
I am sure all of you, after reading the title of this post are thinking: - Who are Black Angrez? Who can be the Black Angrez? It was just a usual day when I was leaving the school I work in, for a field visit and waiting for the jeep to come. 40 minutes had already...
Domestic Violence : Pegging The Blame
What do you say when a woman you met 20 minutes back, tells you, “Maar-pitai to yahan har ghar mein hoti hai. Maine shadi ke pehle ye sab kabhi nahi dekha lekin is mohalle mein roz ka hi hai. Ab ajeeb nahi lagta, aadat pad gayi hai.” (Violence happens in every home...
How Useful Is A Health Insurance Scheme In India?
Travel (home to block hospital) - Rs 200Medicine - Rs 300Travel (block hospital to private clinic) - Rs 100Medical expenses (doctor fees, caesarean delivery charges, medicines) - Rs 22,000Travel (private clinic to home) - Rs 200Total Expenditure (in 3 days) - Rs...
KHAAN : The Evolution Of A Dead Mine
A few months back I worked on a radio series called Khanabadoshon Ki Duniya (The world of migrants). It focused on breaking the narrative of internal migrants as a threat to development as portrayed by various media. The themes touched upon areas like the...
10 Types Of People I Met In My NGO
I spent half of my fellowship year in the back office, which is in a residential colony of Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Since it is known to be a women's organization, the employee sex ratio is slightly skewed in our favor. But, irrespective of them being male or female,...
The Privilege Called Information : Of Hierarchy, Distance and Language
My world view of West Bengal was very limited. West Bengal was just Kolkota. There was no knowledge about the state beyond Durga Puja, fish curry and Tagore. It was my first time in Badwan, a block in the district of Purulia in West Bengal. The place contained 134...
Ladakh : The Land That Was!
It looked like a dream, stayed like an old friend and will be often recalled as the land where most outsiders found bliss, either in nature or in other people and a few, within themselves. Everyone knows Ladakh is heavenly, not just in the way it looks but also how it...
What Renu Managed To Do With Training And Courage
Renu Devi was 7 months pregnant and expecting her second child. It was around midnight that she started having labour pains. She ignored the pain since her expected due date was two months away so she thought these must be false pains. Moreover, it was late at night...