Village life pivots around women. And – at the same time – they are often pushed to sidelines, quietened, ignored. Here we look at how and why that happens, and champion those working to change it. We would also feature LGBTQ individuals and communities who are all too often overlooked in rural India.
Gender
Reversing the indefensible culture of open defecation
Ending open defecation in India’s villages cannot be the sole responsibility of the government. The heads of rural households also need to made responsible to ensure that women have access to safe sanitation
Women farmers deploy ducks to supercharge rice cultivation
Women farmers in Dinajpur are reviving traditional organic farming and using backyard concoctions to tackle farm pests. They are also using innovative methods such as integrating duck rearing with rice cultivation
Improved stoves boon for women in rural Sikkim
Smokeless cook stoves in Talkharka village near India-Bhutan border have improved the lives of village women by tackling noxious indoor air pollution, reducing firewood consumption and providing livelihoods
Araku Valley takes baby steps to address maternal health
An initiative to reach healthcare services to pregnant women and new mothers in the underdeveloped Araku Valley has seen a measure of success in tribal communities ruled by superstition and regressive practices
Madhubani painters want better deal for their work
Despite global recognition, women painters of the Madhubani folk art form in Jitwarpur village have failed to escape the clutches of middlemen, who corner most of the profits. State initiatives could help stop the exploitation
Will rural women rise up against digital patriarchy?
It remains to be seen whether the digital world of today will become more hostile to women in villages than their physical reality, which is currently dominated by men who lord it over them
Mountain women live and work with bent backs
The absence of most men and the nature of work in the farm and forest have left women in Mandal village of Uttarakhand with no option to spend most of their time with bent over double, which severely damages their health
Women bear brunt of poor healthcare in rural Kashmir
Healthcare infrastructure is poor in rural areas of Kashmir, and it particularly affects the women, who have to rush to Srinagar to get proper medical attention, as there is a dire shortage of gynecologists in the districts
Does targeted finance help farm widows break free of chronic debt?
While targeted assistance has brought financial inclusion to farm widows in parts of Telangana, only concrete interventions can eradicate chronic indebtedness and ensure sustainable livelihoods