Cleanliness is also a big facet of the work of midwives. An essential...
Is Our Education System Irrelevant To The Tribal Children?
In my second week at Swasthya Swaraj, I traveled with two of our team members...
The Decaying Roots Of Tradition
After coming to Odisha, I was invited for a wedding for the first time in a...
Dream A Little Dream Of Me…
Trigger Warning: Mentions rape, suicide. 'Didi vo thodi pagal hai, usko...
‘Sweep’ Under The Rug Much? How We Ignore The Reality Of Who Cleans India
Rehabilitated manual scavenger, Maya Sangeliya, 45, looks on inside her house....
What A Kilometre Long Road In South Delhi Tells You About Social Structures
Recently, I relocated to Delhi. I was fortunate enough to have friends who...
Mandav Utsav 2021 : What People Had To Say
This article is a critical appraisal of what I saw and heard when I visited Mandav for their yearly festival. All views shared are my observations from the conversations I had with the locals of Mandav,
How A Night At The Hospital Made Me Realize My Privilege
It was 3AM; cold and chilly. I was sitting in a government hospital. After a...
A Hard-To-Forget Conversation With A Woman
Two years since, I still can't forget her face. She was wearing a plain Olive Green sari. We were sitting together in a dimly lit medium-sized room built of bricks, in a village near Sant Kabir Nagar (originally Khalilabad), Uttar Pradesh. It was late into the...
A Lesson I Learnt When Teaching My Students
Being part of an education innovation which aims at changing attitude through change in content delivery. At Aavishkaar I see the social sector expanding to introduce an intellectual attitude as one of the human rights to protest for. I go to classrooms every week to...
Two Women Who Broke The Glass Ceiling In Dalsighsarai, Bihar
My stint in Dalsinghsarai, Bihar has made me stumble upon numerous striking stories. Some were positive, some negative and others inspiring. Amongst them all, the stories of these two women - Kumkum Devi and Mona Kumari have been intriguing and have stayed with me....
काशीपुर से ख़त
प्रिय मित्र, कभी रोमांटिसिज्म के बारे में सुना है? कहीं उन्नीस्वीं सदी में इस टर्म को पहली बार इस्तेमाल किया गया होगा| पहले भी होता होगा पर उन्नीस्वी सदी के बाद इसने गति पकड़ ली| ये एक जादुई पर्दे की तरह है जो न होता तो हिन्दी सिनेमा कब का ठंडा गोश्त बन गया होता| असल...
अवसर + प्रशिक्षण = तरक्की
अभी कुछ समय पहले ही मैंने एक पुस्तक पढ़ना प्रारंभ किया है, उस पुस्तक के पहले अध्याय के पहले पृष्ठ पर मार्क ट्वाइन की निम्नलिखित पंक्तियां लिखी हुई थी, "Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered - either by themselves or by others" इन पंक्तियों को पढ़ने के बाद...
In Search Of Hidma
Image clicked by Sandesh (blog author) in one of his field outings in Sukma, Chattisgarh, where he is placed as a fellow with Shiksharth, a non-profit working towards education amongst tribal children. “It’s been many days now! When will he come? Can someone please...
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...
Shouldn’t Access To Finance Be A Basic Human Right?
It’s a December morning. Vardi bai* started her day earlier than usual. 30 years of marriage has changed many things, but mornings still remind her of her mother’s house. The liberty of remaining in the warmth of a blanket for a little longer is no more hers to take....
Who Needs Feedback The Most?
Growing up is inevitable. And growth hormone (somatotropin hormone) helps us in growing up physically. But what about mindset? Yes, it is feedback that exposes the lacuna as well as the strength. It indicates how I am and how I can improve myself. Basically, feedback...
When A Yatra Comes To Mhaswad Town
Every year, in December, Mhaswad becomes a hub of excitement. Several thousand people from neighboring towns and villages descend on this small and sleepy town on the occasion of the yatra (journey). The yatra is the largest religious festival of Mhaswad, where the...
When Ownership Came From The Community
“No one loses anyone, because no one owns anyone. That is the true experience of freedom: having the most important thing in the world without owning it” ― Paulo Coelho, Eleven Minutes Being a part of the development sector in different capacities for two years has...
What Came In The Way Of My Mobile Library
The better part of my day here in Kantain, Uttar Pradesh comes after school hours. There is immense satisfaction in helping some extremely eager students with academics as well as general awareness about the world around them. The sun sets as the children of Mishirpur...
Himachali Langar: The Unforgettable Feast
On my first day in the village of Kandbari, where I've now spent more than 4 months, it felt like I was dropped down from a soaring height. Yeah, metaphorically! The fall where you hear nothing, feel nothing or see nothing but get an adrenaline rush. Like anyone else,...
Financial Inclusion As A Human Right
“Every poor person must be allowed a fair chance to improve his/her economic condition. This can be easily done by ensuring his/her right to credit. If the existing financial institutions fail to ensure that right, it is the obligation of the state and the world...