Gender
Maharashtra villages lead the way in widow reforms
Though home to many reformers, Maharashtra continues to see archaic practices such as customs associated with widowhood. However, villages like Herwad have led the way to ban these traditions and embrace widow reforms.
Male dancer takes Punjab giddha stage by storm
Noor Zora – born as Zorawar Sigh - is hugely popular despite being a man who dresses up as a female to perform the women-only folk dance
Rural women farmers plough their way to financial freedom
With a good push from self-help groups and NGOs, women who had never stepped out of their house without a man, are now earning a decent living and a lot of respect from farming.
Jungle Warriors: Odisha women set up jungle huts to save forests
Women in Nayagarh district’s villages start jungle kutirs that serve as a resource hub where they gather and make plans to protect jungles as also individuals’ forest rights.
How a tribal women-run magazine changes life for the better
Mahila Navodayam, a Telugu magazine meaning “new dawn”, published for women and by women, brings about social changes and women’s empowerment – despite initial hardships.
Kudumbashree: A 3-tiered programme tackling Kerala’s gender-based violence
Tackling gender-based violence, Kerala’s Kudumbashree programme works on the three principles of transformation, prevention and support - offering community-based centres and counselling for those in need.
Nagaland: Young girl breaks the norm, drums her way towards her dreams
A teen teaches herself to play the drums, encourages other girls to hone their innate talents and nurtures future dreams for her village in Nagaland that is shedding patriarchy.
Weaving a way out of destitution
Weaving indigenous handloom clothes offers destitute women and those who have been trafficked a safe and stable livelihood in the hills of Darjeeling.
Being LGBTQ in rural India
What does being LGBTQ mean in rural India and what are the legal strangleholds that make LGBTQ life a challenge in small town India? We take a look at Village Square in celebration of Pride Day.
The tale and telling of queerness in Bengal’s Bhadu songs
When queerness was criminalised in the 19th century, queer-trans people took refuge in the Bhadu folklore that saw them as goddess-incarnates and also gave them visibility.
Forbidden love in rural Punjab
Their love is strong, but life is a struggle for this lesbian couple from rural Punjab. Without a law that recognises same-sex marriage, like many they struggle to rent homes and often hide their identity.
Court unites lesbian couple separated by family
A young lesbian couple, forcibly separated by their families and reunited thanks to a court intervention, are filled with hope, though bracing themselves for a tough future.
Help desks and counselling reduce gender-based violence
Bringing down gender-based violence (GBV) in remote Odisha villages, “GBV warriors” set up help desks, offer counselling and point victims towards Sakhi centres that offer medical and legal help.
Celebrating rural women – with no bias
Every day is International Women’s Day at Village Square where we champion India’s rural women - too often unseen or ignored by the rest of the world. That is why we created our Her Life series that features stories of ordinary women doing extraordinary things. In their own words. With no bias.
The power of exposure trips
Four years ago, program officer Ankita Goyal accompanied a group of tribal women on their first trip out of their village. Little did she know this “exposure visit” would turn out to be a life-changing experience for her.
Fish on their plate, money in their wallet
In underdeveloped Mayurbhanj, Odisha, women sustainably cultivate fish that not only brings them money but ensures better nutrition for their family.
A young woman engineer spurs hope for pottery in Kashmir
Traditional potters struggling to survive are confident of better business again after a young woman who found hope through pottery is bringing it back into the limelight.
Joy of making banking accessible to women
Local banker Lakhimi Baruah saw how women were ignored in banks so launched Assam’s first cooperative bank for women, ensuring thousands of marginalised women get access to banks, gaining financial literacy and empowerment.
Abandoned as an infant, she brings up orphaned girls
Knowing the pain of being abandoned and growing up in an orphanage, Parkash Kaur brings up abandoned girls, giving them a loving home, care and a good education.
Village Square launches “Her Life”
New strand champions India’s unsung heroes, women navigating their way through a changing world – her accomplishments, her struggles, her dreams, her home, her hopes – her life.