Author: Mohd Imran Khan
Want bumper paddy harvest? Breed fish, say Bihar farmers
Digging ponds to breed fish as a livelihood brings multiple benefits to Patna farmers - fish pond water for irrigation, reduced use of chemicals and reverse migration to name a few.
Chhath Puja: How Muslim women contribute in Hindu festivities in Bihar
As cooking prasad on an earthen stove is important, Muslims make the stoves, continuing their family tradition. They take pride in their contribution to the Hindu festival of Chhath puja, despite low profits.
Greening barren land – Bihar’s guava guru
Once a teacher fondly called ‘guruji,’ Satyendar Manjhi now turns barren land into guava orchards – all thanks to the inspirational advice of India’s ‘mountain man’.
Cattle trade dwindles at Sonepur Mela
Enforcement of laws related to cattle trade has affected the famed Sonepur cattle fair, with cattle numbers decreasing steadily at the fair and sale dwindling by the year
Rural women place Sujini embroidery on global map
Craftswomen of Bihar have tailored Sujini, a traditional embroidery once practiced for internal use, to suit modern needs, lending it an international appeal
Rural BPO centers in Bihar open new doors for girls
Business process outsourcing companies in rural Bihar are providing local job opportunities for educated, computer-literate girls in their village, empowering them socially and financially
Maize loses sheen for Bihar’s farmers
Seemanchal farmers, who switched from wheat and jute to water-friendly maize, are earning less despite high demand and good yield, and look to the government to intervene
Declining rainfall places farming at risk in Bihar
The economy of Bihar is in jeopardy as the number of no rainfall days due to climate change is showing an increasing trend in a state that depends heavily on rain-fed agriculture
Chamarkhani shoemakers persist through declining demand
Despite stiff competition, a group of traditional shoemakers living in a village near Patna have held on to their craft, creating Chamarkhani jutas, the once well-known handmade leather shoes
Rice bankers of Muzaffarpur hold out hope for women’s empowerment
At a time when sexual abuse of women in a Muzaffarpur shelter for the homeless has roiled the nation’s conscience, women farmers in the district shine a beacon for empowerment by growing and selling rice saplings
Litchi growers of Muzaffarpur suffer from falling production
Fluctuating weather patterns have started impacting the famous litchi orchards of Muzaffarpur in Bihar, resulting in poor harvests and decreased sweetness of the fruit that is impacting the livelihoods of thousands of farmers
Brass smiths of Parev brave hardships to keep traditional craft alive
Despite lack of essential infrastructure, no government support and highly erratic power supply, artisanal brass utensil makers in Bihar have overcome huge odds and flourished, providing livelihoods to many rural households
Saran women banish poverty by cultivating vegetables
Switching from traditional rain-fed crops such as rice and wheat to growing vegetables through the year, women farmers of Saran district in Bihar have ensured financial and food security without any external assistance
Bihar farmers taste success with sweet strawberries
Farmers in an Aurangabad village prone to drought and Maoist insurgency have defied scientific opinion, and cultivated strawberries successfully, boosting the local economy
Landless Musahars continue their wait for development
Marginalized and landless, Musahars have become free from bonded labor, yet continue to suffer social discrimination and financial hardships, hoping for government schemes to deliver
Musahars in Bihar struggle to educate their children
Derided as eater of rats, a large number of Mushahars in Bihar villages see education of their children as the only way out of the oppression they face daily but the going is still tough
Anita Devi of Anantpur works magic with mushrooms
From an impoverished village woman to mushroom farmer and successful entrepreneur, Anita Devi has inspired hundreds of women in Nalanda to adopt the profitable venture of mushroom cultivation
Revival of traditional sattu helps village women make a living
Women in rural Nalanda are popularizing the use of a traditional grinding stone to pound flour out of roasted gram, providing a healthier alternative to machine-ground sattu and earning a livelihood for themselves
Mutlupur farmers transform neglected wetland into integrated farm
A group of farmers have converted a shunned wetland to practice fish farming, agroforestry and horticulture, providing employment and livelihood opportunities to impoverished villagers
Women take initiative to build toilets in rural Bihar
Women self-help groups in the villages of Jehanabad have become the harbingers of social change by convincing people about the usefulness of building toilets at homes and ending open defecation