Story

October 27, 2020

Changing Lives and Livelihoods

Supporting the villagers with technical know-how, introducing them to new ways of conserving the more-than-adequate rainwater each year, tying up with government agencies and programmes not only led to alleviating poverty and malnutrition but also gave the village women the confidence to take on leadership positions in local bodies
March 11, 2020

The Pride of Bahmni VO: The Women of Samnapur

From being docile and acquiescent wives, the women of Samnapur recognize their own strength and capabilities, and step up into the hitherto male-dominated arena of bidding for the role of tax collectors in the market, much to the disbelief of the men of their families and village
June 5, 2019

The Women of Unnatipatha Cheli Samiti: The New Entrepreneurs

Making a tentative beginning at goat-rearing, the women of Unnatipatha Cheli Samiti taste success and cannot be held back. They now monitor the health of the animals and deal with the markets too; thereby increasing their confidence and decreasing their dependency on men.
April 17, 2019

Sehansha Gets Married

Expressing her anguish at customs and cultural practices that are blindly followed, a young 14-year-old bride’s gut-wrenching questions remain unanswered: “Why does the world have so many expectations from women? Why do we have to listen to abuses all day, even after killing ourselves to match up?
November 7, 2018

Creating a Safe Space for Women

As important as it is to identify and support viable livelihoods in villages, equally vital it is that issues of gender and sex, gender and patriarchy, and gender and violence are discussed in safe spaces such as SHGs, Clusters and Federations, helping women live lives of equality, dignity and freedom
October 15, 2018

Plastic Bottles: Paving the Way to Perennial Farming

Finding a new use for discarded plastic bottles, now a ubiquitous and deathly hazard to the environment, a little revolution is underway in a tiny block in Khunti district, where tribal farmers are using it to water their crops in an innovative way through machan cultivation, opening up possibilities of greening land that lies arid most of the year.
April 4, 2018

Chameli’s Blue Cycle

Igniting hope and nurturing potential in women is better achieved by example rather than any theory or sermon. One such story of a woman who got such opportunity that changed her life.
February 2, 2018

Samnapur: Cultural Change in Agriculture

Initiating new techniquesin farming, the women of Samnapur have started taking the lead in agricultural practices such as introducing the cultivation of vegetables, growing paddy through SRI, going to the market to sell vegetables and asserting their identity as farmers in their families and in society, thereby bringing about asea change in the way they are perceived and in their confidence as decision- makers.
January 2, 2018

Small Changes on the Road to Development

A story of how a barely literate woman was able to change her life and tap her potential when provided with opportunities.
November 1, 2017

Swimming against the Tide: Maramai Kisku

Tracing the life of Maramai Kisku, a landless Santhal, who progressed from being a ‘labourer’ to a confident and assertive Ward Member of her panchayat, this article touches upon the changes in her attitude and style of functioning once she becomes a successful farmer, and leaves us with the searing quote, “The oppressed, instead of striving for liberalization, tend to become oppressors.”