The word 'Karyakarta' literally means worker in English. I've been trying to...
Working In Grassroots : Perspectives Versus Realities
Shakshi with the girls and women she is working with My dream of bringing a...
Digital Mobility In Panna, Madhya Pradesh
Sajan Bai (on the left) glares as I (on the right) download WhatsApp on her...
You Feel disgusted? You leave!
A long line of women, carrying their babies in slings across their chests,...
Diving Into A Non-Profit’s Vaccination Journey
Taking you through my month long experience of being part of vaccination drives for migrant workers in Kerala.
Dalsinghsarai: A Place Allowing Me To Challenge Myself
I was standing alongside a brown stray dog, both of us patiently waiting on...
Who Bears The Brunt Of Borrowing Money?
A gender lens to understand credit in rural India Microcredit = Lending to...
Lanji’s Quest For Education And A Better Life
Based on a narration by Lanji Majhi We all have had some old person trying to...
Duski, a Unique Ritual to Forecast Local Weather
In India, 70% of the population is dependent on biodiversity for livelihood. Resources like food, fodder and fertilizer are basic necessities of life. But, working in Bhoola village for the last 10 months has given me an altogether different overview. It was just...
A Ray of Hope in Sukma
After 16 days of initial training in Udaipur, I was informed that I will be placed with ‘Shiksharth’ in Sukma, Chhattisgarh. Moving to a place like Sukma gave me a mixed feeling of excitement, curiosity and a bit of fear. One of the major tasks before I could set out...
Learning Without Reading: A Day With Enterprising Rural Women
"Anokhi" - A unique initiative by Shram Sarathi, in collaboration with STEP Academy (Skill Training, Employ-ability & Placement), supported by Aajeevika Bureau. It's designed to equip women entrepreneurs with tools and skills they may need to thrive in their...
The Land Settlement Collision at Swasthya Swaraj
One of the greatest hurdles to overcome while working in a tribal predominant area is to secure a land for running day-to-day operations. According to Forest Rights Act 2006, forest land cannot be sold to anyone. In case there are villages that are completely occupied...
A Library for Children Living in the Slums of Noida [A Video]
Would you have imagined that an urban slum in Noida has a space where children come, generally after school hours, and spend as much time as they want, just being themselves and doing whatever they feel like doing, without the fear of being judged? What inspired a...
Everyday Life At a Brick Kiln in Maharashtra
Imagine moving-in to a new place with your family for four months carrying all your possessions. How about doing it every year! While working with Katkari tribe in Raigad, on their social upliftment, one of the key issues we battle every year is Migration. They leave...
All You Want To Know About India Fellow [A Video]
Young Indians are often disinterested in their jobs these days, and are exploring career paths which may or may not align with their knowledge, interest and/or skills. It takes several years for them to figure out a combination of what they’re good at, what the world...
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...
An Unforgettable Visit To The ANC And Under-Five Camp
Ante-natal Women & Under Five Children’s Clinic (ANC camp) is a medical camp organized by Swasthya Swaraj. It is an important program activity that happens every month in different clusters. To give you a background, Swasthya Swaraj has 2 major clinic centers -...
Plato And Cave – Valuable Lessons From The Allegory
In The Republic by Plato, he analyses a story of a group of people born and brought up in a dark cave without any connection with the outside world. The "Cave Allegory", as it is called, gets interesting when one among them finds out about the truth of their existence...
This Young Woman Is Bringing Social Change Through Travel [A Video]
An itch to start something of her own, supply chain management, A fellowship advertisement, one year to make a decision, immense love for countryside, perseverance in abundance. All this and much more took Ashwini to start Nativefolks, and run it for about 4 years...
We Need A Balance In Stories About Indian Villages
A single story is one where the same thing gets told over and over again about a people or a place we do not know first-hand. The danger? It leads to stereotypes, to half-truths, not the truth. Our lives and cultures are composed of many overlapping stories. A single...
Unheard Stories of Salwa Judum Movement
A session on Natural Disasters was going on in my class, located inside a Porta Cabin in Sukma, Chhattisgarh. After a brief explanation, I asked everyone to write what they understood along with a few examples. Next day, students were ready with their stories. They...