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
Goats and poultry help tribal women turnaround impoverished lives
Poverty-stricken women in the semi-arid regions of West Bengal and Jharkhand, used to subsisting on meager incomes, have defied huge odds and transformed their lives by rearing goats and poultry
Dharmapuri has forgotten the many names for rain
Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall in the drought-prone dry land farms of Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu is making rain-fed agriculture non-viable but some women farmers are adapting by growing millets
Saran women banish poverty by cultivating vegetables
Switching from traditional rain-fed crops such as rice and wheat to growing vegetables through the year, women farmers of Saran district in Bihar have ensured financial and food security without any external assistance
Women feel the heat of climate change in rural Manipur
Women farmers in Manipur, who play a significant role in the state's agriculture, are struggling to grow crops in an increasingly hostile environment of north-east India
Kamrup women lead Eri silk revival for improved livelihoods
Linking markets with traditional Eri silk weavers in many parts of Assam, non-profit organization Grameen Sahara has enabled thousands of village women to boost their household incomes
A voice against abuse and exploitation
Standing against forced marriages in the old city of Hyderabad, Shaheen has emerged as a space for women of minority and oppressed communities to empower themselves
Purulia’s nachaniyas still dance to escape destitution
Exploited by their so-called masters, the folk dancers of rural Bengal have no option but to keep dancing and entertaining to escape poverty and destitution, shunned by society and with no help from the government
Pad women of Assam start menstrual hygiene movement
Young women have brought about a change in the mindset of rural men and women in Assam about menstrual hygiene and steered the women towards better hygiene with reusable cloth pads
Community radio creates waves of change in Karnataka villages
Run primarily by women, the Sarathi Jhalak radio station has brought administrators, experts and villagers on the same platform, giving rural communities a voice