Surname, Please?

Surname, Please?

The train journey to Mangaon had worn me out. I had woken up at 5 am today, a record timing by my standards. Adding to this, the speaker on stage had been speaking in Marathi for the past twenty minutes. Due to these specific factors, my eyes steadily shut. Father...

15 Girls And A 40 Hour Journey From Himachal Pradesh To Bihar

15 Girls And A 40 Hour Journey From Himachal Pradesh To Bihar

When we started writing India Fellow blogs, we were told how our stories were all unique, however common they may seem. We were told that no one would be able to represent our story and the moments in our journey the way we could. Today, as I board Himgiri Express...

The Dualities Of Women Empowerment

The Dualities Of Women Empowerment

An event full of contradictions An uneven and tardy playground of a government school, a bunch of male teachers, a female Sarpanch, a young woman as the organiser and thirty young and high spirited girls had gathered for a football match on a windy Wednesday morning....

Searching For Feminism In Rural Uttar Pradesh

Searching For Feminism In Rural Uttar Pradesh

About three weeks back while I was sitting in my balcony, observing the commotion on the road and thinking about the last 8 months that I have spent in Kantain village of Sitapur district in Uttar Pradesh, several thoughts ran through my mind. It was a mixed bag, of...

Vittyasaathi – A Lifestory

Vittyasaathi – A Lifestory

A bleak light begins to flicker in one of Kathotia village’s households at 3 am. A long day awaits Sabo Devi*. She brews herself some tea, feeds and cleans the cow, gets ready and is on her way to work by 5 o’clock. Her daughter, Julie*, takes care of every other...

I Do Not Ask A Child “If You Go To School” Anymore!

I Do Not Ask A Child “If You Go To School” Anymore!

Among them was a baby girl aged 10 months (however appeared to be no less than 3 months old). She was suffering from both Severe Acute Malnutrition and Tuberculosis. It was an image that has distraught me till date.

The Kind Of People I Meet During A Sale

The Kind Of People I Meet During A Sale

One of the best things about being a sales person and selling products is the variety of people you meet. From easy going and generous to the most fussy and reluctant. Happy children wanting the laddus to old people volunteering to help; it has been a very different...

Why Did 9-Year-Old Bright Faiz Drop Out Of The Village School?

Why Did 9-Year-Old Bright Faiz Drop Out Of The Village School?

Faiz Parveen, a 9-year-old studying in primary school at village Daniyalpur in Munger District of Bihar was excelling in his studies. Faiz was studying in this school since 3 years and was always on time for school. It was the month of October (2018), when Faiz was...

One Scary Night At The Prerna Tribal Girl’s Hostel In Bihar

One Scary Night At The Prerna Tribal Girl’s Hostel In Bihar

During my second visit to the Prerna Hostel at Danapur, Patna I got the chance to be closer to Sudha ma’am and learn much more about her girls. What had surprised me in the first visit was their daily routine. They would wake up everyday to the ring of the bell at...

The Unwritten Rules For The Binary Genders

The Unwritten Rules For The Binary Genders

In Kanpur, six months of my fellowship has been about marketing organic products by the farmers. On a random working day, I was involved in a sales campaign, customers were coming to ask about the organic products that we were selling. A middle-aged man wearing kurta...

संशय से आत्म-विश्वास की ओर

संशय से आत्म-विश्वास की ओर

A story on how a curated red diary is making a difference in the lives of semi-literate or illiterate women entrepreneurs. झमकू बाई 'क्यारा' नाम के एक छोटे से फले में रहती हैं. इस मनोहारी गाँव में लगभग 20 परिवार रहते हैं. उनके पति, जो पेशे से रसोई कारीगर हैं, काम की...

हम लड़ेंगे साथी, गुलाम इच्छाओं के लिए

हम लड़ेंगे साथी, गुलाम इच्छाओं के लिए

मैंने खुद को 'कुंचोली' पंचायत के एक छोटे से गाँव में पाया, जहाँ एक मकान निर्माणाधीन था. उस दृश्य को मैंने तस्वीर में कैद करने की कोशिश की. अवतार सिंह संधू 'पाश' पंजाबी कविता जगत के जाने - माने - चाहे जाने वाले कवि  हैं. पंजाबी भाषा के सीमित ज्ञान के कारण, मैंने उनकी...

मैं और भालू

प्रिय मित्र काशीपुर से में भोपाल के लिए रवाना हो गया हूं। वही पुराना घर! अब तो घर क्या है कहां है इसकी समझ कमजोर पड़ गई है। खुले आसमान ने हमें इतना अपना लिया है कि दीवारें पराई लगने लगी है। यह तीसरा और आखिरी खत काशीपुर के सबसे अप्रतिम भाग के बारे में है। यह ना होता तो...