Author: Smriti Mukerji
Nagda’s back with Rajasthani film to light up perspectives
Filmmaker Jigar Nagda, whose film Aravali–The Lost Mountains was a big draw at Village Square’s Chitrashaala film festival last year, has just released his first feature film. Called Batti–A Boy Who Dreamt of Electricity, the Mewadi language film has locals of Raita village in district Udaipur in its cast.
She chose harsh farm life over a 6-figure American paycheck
Bhavani Akkina went from a high-flying corporate career in IT in the US to teaching sustainable living principles to farmers, children, police personnel and others at her native Chinatadepalli village in Andhra Pradesh. She tells Village Square about how and why she made the switch.
Teenage Madhubani artist from Bihar eyes brighter future for herself
Once unsure about her future, today Alisha Perween, from Bihar is on her way to becoming a sure-footed Madhubani artist. All thanks to a women’s empowerment programme, this school-goer now has concrete ideas about what to do next.
A date with a sixth-generation pattachitra artist from Raghurajpur
Village Square spends the day with a local pattachitra artist from Odisha’s famous art village, Raghurajpur, to understand more about the craft and the village that was home to three Padmashree winners.
This couple’s farm promises an escape from the city
Shakti and Ila Lumba, who quit the city to live in district Faridabad’s village Mangar, known for its sacred grove, opened their farm to guests in 2008. Since then, they have worked with locals to improve their living conditions and showcased village life to guests.
Coming up, a food forest in Himachal’s Kangra
Picture a food forest-cum-botanical garden where you can buy seeds of native plants as well as taste the produce. This is what Attune, an upcoming project in Himachal’s Kangra, seeks to offer.
These architects are building an archive of MP’s tribal traditions
Meet architects Achyut Siddu and Apoorva Mishra who are encouraging members of the Pardhan Gond, Baiga and Bhil tribes of Madhya Pradesh to document their traditions through their initiative, Loksutr.
Clicking rural India from a woman’s view
From widows of farmers in Maharashtra who had died by suicide to women drug users in Punjab and the gendered impact of water crisis in Uttarakhand, photographer Deepti Asthana’s work captures rural themes from the women’s perspective.
A filmmaker’s ode to craft on celluloid
Muzaffar Ali, the director of films such as Gaman, Umrao Jaan and Anjuman tells us why he chose to make 18 short films on Indian craft forms, one of which was screened at Village Square’s Chitrashaala short film festival.
Bittu – A fiction film that borrows from real village life
Karishma Dev Dube, the director of Bittu, which was shortlisted for the Best Live Action Short Film segment at the 93rd Academy Awards, tells us more about the movie ahead of its screening at the Chitrashaala Short Film Festival.
Here’s a film that takes masks of Majuli to the people
In an exclusive tete-e-tete, Mask Art of Majuli director Utpal Borpujari tells us more about the short film, set in the world's largest river island in Assam, which will be screened at Village Square’s Chitrashaala short film festival.
Add this waterfall-side Himachali dhaba to your Manali itinerary
You can enjoy Himachali delicacies like lingdi sabzi, sidu and kadhi at Sagar Thakur dhaba, which is run by a ‘Pahadi didi’ next to a natural waterfall far from the maddening crowd of Manali.
Why this couple said konnichiwa to a Himachal village
Michael and Devanshe, who run the Himalayan Orchard homestay, quit a cosmopolitan life in Japan to live in her ancestral village in Himachal Pradesh. They tell us about the challenges and opportunities the move unfurled for them.
A low-power cold storage solution to help farmers
This Purdue and IIT Kharagpur alumnus has won the Union government’s Prajjwala Challenge for a unique cold storage model he has created to help Indian farmers. He talks to Village Square about the innovation.
This award-winning startup is resolving India’s fodder crisis
In a bid to help small farmers earn more, Hydrogreens Agri Solutions is creating sustainable solutions for better livestock fodder production. Vasanth Madhav Kamath, winner of the Union government’s Prajjwala Challenge, talks about his venture and journey.
Explore the village ways with this Uttarakhand venture
Village Ways, a social enterprise, takes tourists on walking tours of five villages within Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttarakhand. This is a win-win not just for the visitors but also the hosts, who are all local residents.
Meshing tech and rural crafts
Meenakshi Dubey, the founder of the online portal Yespoho and winner of the Union government’s Prajjwala Challenge, talks to us about how she uses technology to promote rural craftspersons.
Empowering rural women, one sustainable pad at a time
Through her biodegradable sanitary pads brand Apna Green, Aruna Dara has started a movement for underprivileged women. She talks about her journey and emerging as one of the five winners of the Union government’s Prajjwala Challenge.
From child bride to award winner, Rajasthan farmer breaks barriers
Married off as a teen, Sagar Kunwar of Pali in Rajasthan has evolved over the years to become the chairperson of an all-woman producer company, winning awards for spearheading organic farming.