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

Women in villages pay a heavy price for working away from home
The knotty issues around rural women’s migration for employment that often stigmatise and disempower them in their communities have to be urgently addressed for a gender-inclusive economic growth

Kuthambakkam charts a course to prosperity through community action
Kuthambakkam village in Tamil Nadu has overcome caste hostility and poverty to emerge as a national model of participatory governance that has boosted the village economy

Girls in Palghar are breaking entrenched stereotypes to continue their education
A walk of 7 km everyday across hilly terrain and fast streams, no food for the entire day, the additional burden of household chores — a few girls in the Western Ghats are fighting all odds to complete their education