Author: Jency Samuel
What’s Christmas in southern Tamil Nadu without these traditional treats?
In the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, Christmas celebration is incomplete without mundhiri kothu and vivikkam – two traditional sweets with names that may sound strange to others.
Where waste ‘lights up’ villages
While waste disposal is a huge problem – moved from neighbourhoods to dump yards – villages in Tamil Nadu are turning their wet waste into biogas to generate electricity.
Swara Bhasker says to leave comfort zone to make a better India
Speaking at the inaugural Bharat Youth Dialogues, the critically acclaimed actor Swara Bhasker implored India’s youth to get out of their comfort zone and explore rural India, as she once did, to be more effective change-makers.
Incessant rains bring flood of emotions
As India’s monsoons increase in intensity, anxiety and fear – of even a small shower – are becoming common. While everyone responds differently, professionals offer tips to cope.
Solar “pumps” up incomes
How can farmers produce the food we eat without stable electricity for irrigation? By switching to solar-powered pumps, farmers become self-reliant and fruitful.
“Our lands used to lay wasted”
Sometimes all it takes is a smart woman to know a good idea when she hears one. This is the story of Shanku Ben, one of the Gujarati women who convinced the men in their village of Mubarakpura to use a special pipe to harvest rainwater and turn their saline, clay soil into a fruitful field. Here is Shanku Ben's story in her own words.
Eco-friendly sanitation wins proponent civilian award
Subburaman, who is credited with constructing India’s first community eco-san toilet, besides successfully installing various eco-friendly sanitation solutions, gets recognized with a Padma Shri
How rural India showed resilience, synergy during lockdown
Republic Day is an ideal occasion to celebrate rural India’s positive progress. VillageSquare recollects how communities used the lockdown productively, despite difficulties and loss of livelihoods.
Women weavers start successful eateries after job loss
When weaving became unsustainable, two enterprising women started selling idlis to patients and convalescents. Many women followed their footsteps, developing the area into a popular outsource hub
Farmers still under cloud of Cyclone Gaja and storm surge
Coastal farmers suffered a double whammy when Cyclone Gaja brought a storm surge in its wake. Two years later, they are yet to recover, but remain hopeful
How a tribal community took measures to guard itself against COVID-19
Though remote, Sittilingi Valley in Tamil Nadu, has a sizeable population that migrates for work. This prompted a proactive panchayat leadership to rally the community around to safeguard itself
Community sows seeds of conservation, saves rare endemic trees
A species recovery program implemented in a degraded sacred grove that the local community sought to restore has resulted in conservation of endemic and threatened species of trees
Tharuvaikulam boatwrights adapt to changing trends
With the demand for fiber-reinforced plastic boats increasing after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, wooden boat builders of Tharuvaikulam in Tamil Nadu adapt to growing needs of the marine fishing sector
Palmyrah tappers move from climbing trees to casting nets
After a drought and a ban on toddy tapping, palmyrah climbers of a coastal village have taken to the sea, practicing sustainable fishing to conserve marine life and earn a livelihood
Coastal communities in Tamil Nadu prepare for disasters
Fishing communities living on the Bay of Bengal coast in Tamil Nadu, who are vulnerable to extreme weather events, are being trained by the Tamil Nadu government to prepare for disasters
Revival of Lambadi embroidery stems migration
Failing monsoons forced Lambadi tribes in Sittilingi valley of Tamil Nadu to migrate, but a revival of traditional embroidery by women has enhanced household incomes and stemmed migration
Coastal farmers tackle salinity with innovative measures
Farmers in coastal Tamil Nadu are countering salinity caused by droughts and groundwater depletion through rainwater harvesting and by reviving traditional organic farming practices
Native cattle breeds gain ground in Tamil Nadu
As global warming becomes increasingly evident across peninsular India, the conservation of indigenous cattle breeds that are hardy and better suited to withstand high temperatures has been gaining ground
From subsistence farming to agroforestry and prosperity
Farmers in the southern reaches of Pudukottai district in Tamil Nadu have turned to agroforestry to protect and boost incomes because falling groundwater levels and overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides had made agriculture unsustainable in the area
Organic farming fetches higher returns for Puducherry farmers
Farmers in Sorapattu village have reduced the costs of farming inputs by curbing use of chemical fertilizers and embracing integrated pest management, which has resulted in higher incomes for them