मिट्टी के साथ काम करने वाले कारीगरों से एक मुलाक़ात
मुझे खमीर में काम करते हुए तीन महीने हो चुके हैं। पिछले तीन महीनों में फील्ड टीम के साथ बहुत सी नयी चीजों को सीखने व समझने का मौका मिला। इस दौरान मुझे कुछ बड़े और दिग्गज कुम्हारों से मिलने का भी सौभाग्य प्राप्त हुआ जो कच्छ में पॉटरी को समझने आये थे। इनमें थे राजू जी...
एक इंडिया फ़ेलो अपनी नोटबुक में क्या लिखता है
कुछ हफ्तों पहले मेरी दोस्त और को-फेलो आकांक्षा मेरी ऑफिस की नोटबुक पढ़ रही थी। हम कुछ लोग बस यूँ ही बैठे गप्प लड़ा रह थे की बोरियत में उसने इस नोटबुक को खोला। पन्ने पलटते-पलटते आकांक्षा को जो कुछ भी मज़ेदार, अजीब-ओ-ग़रीब या दिलचस्प लगता था वो उसे ज़ोर से पढ़ देती।...
Work, Worship And Waterbody
Dear Reader, You probably don’t know me. But if there was one thing I’d like to tell about myself, it's that I worship work. At the cost of sounding like a terrible person, I have to confess that I've judged people based on how much they work. The more time they spend...
भुखमरी
भुखमरी शब्द से आम तौर पे हम समझते हैं भूख के कारण लोगों का तड़पना या उनको खाना खाने को नही मिलना। भुखमरी से और बीमारियां भी होती हैं, व्यक्ति का वृद्धि-विकास भी रुकता है, और लम्बे समय से ग्रसित रहने पर इससे मृत्यु भी हो सकती है। इस से होने वाले कुपोषण का ही एक रूप है...
Understanding Empowerment Amidst The Buzz
While sitting in my study room and having the luxury of being fascinated by reading people's stories, stories of change, the numerous campaigns, and slogans, one word constantly came up. Empowerment. It became so familiar that I had never actually taken the time to...
Settling In And Attending A Visioning Exercise
Finding A Place To Live Last month brought with it some of the most challenging days I've experienced so far. What aided me in not letting these days get the better of me was perhaps giving my mind the space to reflect and bounce. A simple meal and conversations....
Theatre Of The Oppressed: Rehearsing for Real Life
These are my reflections from five months of practicing Theatre of the Oppressed with adolescent girls and children in Kutch By the end of design school, there was a certain mistrust in what I was doing. No matter how social the ‘problem’ is or how much one...
Her: The Story Of A Beautiful Creation
The role of women in my life has been invaluable and transformative, shaping my perspective on various things, including resilience and determination. My mother, though not formally educated, showed an unwavering commitment to our education, ensuring that all her...
भुज की महिलाएं और कमला बेन की कहानी
भुज भारत के उत्तर-पश्चिम भाग में रहस्य की भूमि कच्छ जिले में स्थित हैं। कच्छ जिले का कुल क्षेत्रफल कुछ भारतीय राज्यों से भी अधिक है। यहाँ कई महत्वपूर्ण शहर और कस्बे हैं और उन में से सबसे महत्वपूर्ण तालुका भुज को माना जाता है। पुराना...
Sickle Cell Anemia And A Day In The Life Of A Counsellor
On 8th August 2023, I accompanied Laxmi Patkar, a counsellor at Jan Swasthya Sahyog (JSS) to many villages in Jaithari block of Anuppur district, Madhya Pradesh. The purpose of the trip was to distribute sickle cell anemia test reports to parents of children who...
Observations And Realities In Schools At Saharsa, Bihar
Bihar is one of the marginalised states in India in terms of education. It has a total literacy rate of 64% and female literacy rate of 53%. Women's education and social development badly needs support. I'm working with Happy Horizons Trust on empowering adolescent...
The Story Of Thoriyari Village Pond
Thoriyari village pond is a place to visit, a great learning resource to understand water structures and its dynamics in the are. Thoriyari is between big Rann and small Rann of Kutch, on the edge closer to the small Rann in Rapar Taluka of Kutch District. It's a dry...
Unplugged Candlelight Days In Rural Uttar Pradesh
Bhadohi district of Uttar Pradesh is known for its hand-knotted carpets. However, I was there for something completely unrelated - to document stories of people practicing multilayer kitchen gardening. It was during the calm of winter earlier this year. Out of...
Guftgoo-E-Mewat
“आओ भाईसाहब बैठो, कुछ ठंडा वंडा पीयो” These were some of the first words that came to my ears as soon as I set foot in Mewat, and they I continued to hear them as long as I was there. At the end of last month, a train from Nagpur brought me to Jaipur. Then I took a...
The Toilet Situation In Public Schools Of Rural Bihar
Introduction Having spent nearly 21 years of my life in urban settings, I've encountered various challenges like crowded streets, population density, subpar living conditions, high living costs, and fierce competition. Among these challenges, the unhygienic state of...
पिछले तीन महीनों में कुछ नए अनुभव
सवाल थे हर कदम पर, क्या तुमने जवाब ढूंढने की कोशिश की?सीख थी हर मोड़ पर, क्या तुमने कुछ सीखने की कोशिश की?दोस्त थे हर रास्ते पर, क्या तुमने हाथ बढ़ाने की कोशिश की? आइए चलते हैं वल्लभपर जो कि गुजरात के कच्छ जिले का एक छोटा सा गांव है। यह नज़दीकी तालुका से कुछ 35 कि.मी...
Adivasis – Stereotypes vs Reality
As a diverse country, we know that people from different religions, cultures, and terrains live here in India. However, we often forget or don't talk about certain parts of this diversity, one of which is tribal communities. When I used to think of tribes or Adivasis,...
Fakirani Jats Of Kutch, Gujarat
Since I started working in the corporate IT industry, I've always been away from my home state, Andhra Pradesh. At the same time, it gave me an opportunity to explore, understand and experience other cultures. When I was working in Pune, most of my friends were from...