Author: Village Square
‘Heritage is where your identity lies’
Heritage India’s founder Manjiri Khandekar tells us why it’s important to make people aware about India’s rich, vast heritage and how the COVID-19 pandemic sprang a pleasant surprise on them.
Millet mantras: Your guide to a healthy platter
Here's a quick go-to guide for all that you need to know about millets, from what these super-grains look like to why they are important for us and even how to cook them.
Malayattoor, the holy hill with crosses and a ‘gold’ rock
Come the holy week for Christians, and the hill that leads to Malayattoor in Kerala sheds its usual windblown beauty to get swathed in a sea of fervour. As thousands of pilgrims take the 3-hour uphill trek, some carrying wooden crosses on their back, the sacred hill comes alive with sights of faith and devotion.
‘Men acknowledge domestic violence shown in our plays’
Munia Murmu, 42, believes theatre has empowered her tremendously to address systemic, social issues of domestic violence and gender discrimination in her village. We speak to her about the transformative potential theatre holds for many women like her in Bihar and the rest of India.
‘We brought Shakespeare to Punjab stage’
As a class X student in Amritsar, Rajinder Singh started Dastak, a theatre group, in 1996 because he could not access theatre training due to lack of resources. We speak to him about his fascinating storytelling journey.
‘Planting trees is not forest restoration’
To learn about India’s forests, their significance and their relationship with people, we spoke with Neha Singh, founder of Forrest India, a Pune-based organisation working on biodiversity conservation, ecosystem connectivity and climate change.
‘Feminist sensitisation is needed for everyone’
What is it like to empower marginalised women to access justice in rural India? We speak to Anshumala of Association for Advocacy and Legal Initiatives Trust (AALI), an organisation working on protection and advancement of women’s rights since 1998.
‘Wildlife conservation isn’t anti-development’
All stakeholders need to make efforts for conservation since the ultimate beneficiary is humanity, says Dr Samir Kumar Sinha, Chief Ecologist at Wildlife Trust of India. Excerpt from an interview:
Journey towards making Kollam India’s first constitution-literate district
Village Square speaks to Sudesan V of Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) to understand how Kollam achieved the incredible feat of becoming India’s first constitution-literate district educating over 14 lakh individuals and 6 lakh families.
Get your photograph featured on Village Square homepage
Attention all photographers – show us rural India through your lens and get featured on our homepage under our exciting Photo of the Day strand. Click here to send in your photo entries.
A new platform helps farmers in Jharkhand earn money from carbon projects
At a time when adverse impacts of climate change on agriculture are apparent, a new carbon finance platform promotes climate resilient agriculture in Jharkhand and helps farmers access climate finance.
Child Trafficking: “To unite children with their parents feels amazing”
Shrishti Shankar leads rescues and raids against child trafficking and child labour in Jharkhand. Working with Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) as Ranchi’s District Coordinator, she also strategizes on the best ways of protecting rural children at the grassroots level.
Rural Storytelling Festival
A week-long Rural Storytelling Festival (November 10-16) organised by Youth Hub at Village Square brought together prominent journalists, development organisations and professionals, academia, placement representatives at various campuses and students to share, discuss and collaborate in highlighting dynamism and vibrancy of rural India and mainstream the development agenda.
Downtime in Rural India – photo competition winners announced!
See how rural India relaxes and plays - the winning photographers are announced from this year's Village Vibe photo competition, Downtime in Rural India. If you're in Delhi head to Sundar Nursery to see these photos exhibited in the park through December.
Offbeat rural destinations in India
At Village Square we love delving into the more unknown and vibrant regions of rural India, so for World Tourism Day we offer up some of our favourite stories and places to add to your “must see” list.
Cycling 1400 km to get 1000 rural investors
The man behind Jharkhand's Mor Mitti initiative is cycling 1400 kms to New Delhi, hoping to pick up 1000 investors in his rural project along the way. We spoke with Biswambharnath Naik about his ambitious journey.
Odisha villagers fight fire ant invasion
Swamped by red fire ants that stung their way through an Odisha village - causing rashes and swellings, residents are forced to fight the “enemy” with chemical sprays.
September-Photo of the month
We are back with the magical photos that give us a glimpse into villages of India. With the quantity and quality of pictures skyrocketing, here are our picks for Photo of the Month - September.
“Gratitude award” offers Rs 1 crore for India’s changemakers
The Yashraj Research Foundation announced “Yashraj Bharti Samman Award” to recognise leaders of social change in India who could win Rs One Crore - each - for their transformative idea or work.
Saathi Ventures announces award for stories of micro-entrepreneurs
More than half of India's population is engaged in entrepreneurship, especially micro-entrepreneurship. To celebrate India’s massive micro-entrepreneurial economy, Saathi Ventures is conducting a micro-entrepreneurship storytelling challenge.