Photo Stories
New print on the block
You know about Rajasthan’s Sanganeri and Bagru block prints, admire their imperfections and perhaps have a wardrobe full of them. But have you seen Jhag – the newest print in the collections of some of the reputed Indian handloom brands?
Hard at work – Vignettes from villages
They tug, they slog, they literally bear the weight of the system. This Labour Day, let’s recognise the struggles of workers who resisted oppression a century ago, and who toil daily to make ends meet and make this country function.
Peep into the Eid celebrations of Kashmir’s Gujjar tribe
"Eid aaye rase rase, eid-gah waes waey (Steadily, steadily Eid has arrived, let’s go to eidgah)..." As the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end, Kashmir’s Gujjar tribe gathers to celebrate three days of Eid in the most colourful way.
Chhattisgarh’s magical mahua flowers in pics
Versatile and rich in nutrition, mahua is an important forest produce for the tribal communities in Chhattisgarh. Families store dried mahua in bulk to make mahua liquor, a popular beverage in the region.
How women’s market sustains indigenous food system
The Tangkhul community of Ukhrul in Manipur relies heavily on agriculture, besides foraging. Women play an important role in it. Ava Market is the ‘women only’ market in town where herbs, plants and wild edibles are sold daily.
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.
Get weather predictions at Jharkhand’s Sarhul festival
Celebrated to mark the new year by the tribal groups of Jharkhand, Sarhul is a three-day event observed after the new moon during the Hindu month of Chaitra (March 22 to April 20 this year). What essentially marks the arrival of spring also sees the prediction of rain by the pahan (tribal priest) only after which the people plant their crops. To mark the celebrations, members of the tribal communities in villages and towns wear traditional clothes and dance as they take out processions.
Theyyam – Narrating stories of gods
Theyyam, also known as kaliyattam, derives its origin from the Malayalam word "daivam", which means god. The performance, held mostly in the rural districts of Kannur and Kasargod of Kerala between December and April, is often confused with the more popular Kathakali, thanks to its elaborate costume, headgear and makeup. However, there are more than 450 forms of theyyam, each with a distinct costume, makeup and ritual. Like many other traditional performing art forms of the country, theyyam too uses the elements of dance, music and theatre to narrate the stories of deities or legendary heroes.
This is where your cabbage may be coming from
Bara Garan is a remote sleepy hamlet nestled at a height of 2,350m in the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas. Located in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, Bara Garan had no road connectivity to a nearby town until a couple of decades back. Residents had to walk for a day to reach Barot, the nearest town. But things changed when a road was constructed. Now villagers who earlier grew crops only for self-sustenance are farming cabbage commercially, selling it to traders across north India.
How authentic Goan feni is made
The recipe of the favourite Goan souvenir – feni – is no longer a local secret. Find out how the alcoholic beverage, made from ripe cashew fruit, is brewed in the most traditional way.
Bhagoriya festival – Of blooming flowers and blossoming love
Often misunderstood as a rural Valentine’s Day, the tribal festival of ‘Bhagoriya’ was a few days back declared a cultural heritage by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The week-long carnival marks the onset of spring. Amid the amber hues splashed by the blossoming palash and the fragrance of yellow mahua flowers, the community rejoices the rabi crop harvest.
Festival of colour and courage – Hola Mohalla 2023
Color and courage are on display in Punjab at the annual three-day Sikh festival, Hola Mohalla. Celebrated at the religious site of Anandpur Sahib, the festival coincides with the Hindu festival of Holi.
Kanha women make school fun for tribal kids
Young women from forest-dwelling communities living in the buffer area of Kanha National Park are empowering themselves by educating children using unique activity-based methods designed based on the socio-ecological context of the landscape.
In Kashmir’s ‘Antarctica’
Snowy mountains full of majestic icicles and swathes of fluffy, silvery carpet covering the ground for miles around – that's how Kashmir's Tangmarg transforms into Antarctica. Well, minus the penguins, alas.
Shrimply Tamil Nadu
Does the sight of shrimp make you hungry? This photo walkthrough shows how shrimp farming is reshaping the environment, livelihoods and social relations in a coastal village of Tamil Nadu.
Mixing it up: Odisha farmer’s journey inspires other women
In a mineral rich district of northern Odisha, Suprava Pradhan achieves financial independence by mixing millet cultivation with other crops, like mushrooms, and rearing livestock too, paving the way for other women farmers.
Photo essay: Sowing seeds of festivity in Manipur
The Tangkhul tribe in Manipur sows seeds – with so much fun and fanfare – it’s an annual festival. The Luira Phanit festival is celebrated a little differently in each village. Here’s a look at Nungbi Khullen’s celebration.
Sohrai: A tribal festival celebrating cattles and nature
Sohrai is a harvest festival celebrated on Amavasya (new moon) by tribal people in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal. It coincides with the festival of Govardhan Puja and involves singing, dancing and delicious food.
Ice hockey – a popular winter sport playing out in Ladakh
Odisha isn’t the only place in India swept by hockey fever. Leh in Ladakh – more than 2,500 km away from Bhubaneswar that is hosting the World Hockey Championship – is caught up in a similar frenzy, with a slight twist though. It’s ice hockey that is keeping the Ladakhis engaged and entertained. Ice hockey – an annual affair in January when temperatures plummet and ponds freeze – is a source of immense pride to the Ladakhis.
In pictures: Coffee cultivation at an unlikely place
Most of us have heard of the delicious coffee beans from Araku in Andhra Pradesh, Coorg in Karnataka and Wayanad in Kerala, but do you know about the aromatic coffee being produced in the tribal regions of Bastar in Chhattisgarh?