Stories
Weaving a tapestry on traditional looms
Kiran R Singh's brand, Balwaar, revives the forgotten craft of weaving khes and durries on traditional handlooms in Punjab. This not only preserves the tradition but also uplifts the local community.
Madhya Pradesh activist gifts home for tribal museum
Born in a poor family, Subhadra Khaperde, 56, is doing her bit for uplifting the downtrodden, including turning her own modest home into a tribal museum.
Sanitary pad depot evokes pride in UP village
Petrified on experiencing her first menstrual period, 22-year-old Kalpana Verma of Mirtala in Mahoba district now helps other women by making sanitary pads more easily available.
This Odisha trans woman is breaking barriers with ‘pride’
Chhavi, a transgender person from Banmali Prasad village in Odisha, overcame societal barriers with support from a compassionate stranger. Through her self help group, Chhavi and her team now excel in waste management.
Dhinki delight in Odisha: Bringing back hand-pounded ragi
When doctors suggested finger millet gruel for her husband’s ailment, Saraswati Naik of Asuki village in Kendujhar district not only started growing ragi, but also pounded it by hand to retain its nutritional value. She now swears by it.
Overcoming poverty and abuse to be MP civil servant
Currently the state’s first woman joint director in urban administration department, Savita Pradhan Gaur has overcome poverty and abusive marriage to excel in life.
Rare woman-contractor builds successful career in Ladakh
Jigmet Norzom, 28, has overcome a difficult childhood and deep-rooted misogyny to make a mark in a profession that was considered a male preserve.
She braves HIV stigma to help others win battles
Vanlalruati Colney fought off her drug addiction and the social stigma surrounding HIV infection, and now works for those battling drug abuse and other issues in Mizoram.
She chose to wear mangalsutra even after her husband’s death
Tulsabai Gaikwad of Herwad village in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district talks about becoming the first woman to shun archaic customs imposed on widows – in her own words.
Mizo singer’s journey from local church to Padma Shri
Singing her way through her childhood, KC Runremsangi of Mizoram cut her first music album when she was 23. At 60 now, she has been conferred with the Padma Shri award for popularising Mizo folk songs through her albums and teaching youth.
Woman forest guide at forefront of Ranthambore tours
Suraj Bai Meena, a 33-year-old mother of two, is an inspiration for many for being the first woman from her tribal community to be conducting forest tours.
Tribal artist creates coat of many colours for PM
Sakshi Bhyadiya from Jhobat in Madhya Pradesh found fame when PM Modi wore a jacket with Pithora artwork painted by her.
Drone didi: Odisha sarpanch takes aerial route to deliver pension
Saroj Agarwal of Baleswar gram panchayat in Nuapada district is promising to deliver more services in remote villages through a drone, having used it already to deliver a pension.
Ladakh mother carves Tibetan legacy on stone
Tsering Palmo, a Tibetan refugee in Ladakh, is the only woman who carves Buddhist mantras and prayers on what are popularly called mani stones – believed to make one’s passage to the next world easier – upholding an important tradition of her ancestral land.
‘Only my husband had faith that I could empower women’
Nitu Nagpure’s efforts to form a Self Help Group in her village in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh has brought about a change in women’s lives, besides improving farm output, family income and quality of life.
Real life Dangal: All I see is an Olympics gold
Script of the movie Dangal starring Aamir Khan seems to be playing out in a Madhya Pradesh town where 18-year-old Hansaben Rathore – nicknamed Mahi – trains hard against odds for wrestling gold in the Olympics.
She creates awareness about the Indian Constitution among tribes
Simdega Agustina Soreng is running a unique campaign: distributing booklets of the Indian Constitution in schools, villages and also in marriage functions of tribal people, to raise awareness, so that the tribes, especially the tribal women, will not be exploited.
Manipur’s drug saviour
Pamkhuila Shaiza, 36, and her Bredwell Correctional Facility in Ukhrul counsel hundreds of substance abusers and strive to support them in their arduous journey towards rehabilitation.
The sweet success of a tea plucker-turned-dragon fruit farmer
Poverty followed Abha Toppo into marriage. So she readily gave up work on a poorly paid tea plantation to grow something she’d never heard of: dragon fruit. Though everyone told her it was too risky, she ploughed on and is now reaping the rewards.
She quits her media job to educate children
Arpna Chandail quit her job with a Hindi television channel to go back to her village in Jammu for starting a school that is a class apart from many educational institutions.