Livelihoods

Rural India is home of the original gig-economy worker. Enterprising villagers hop from tilling fields to tending shops, to door-to-door selling each day. Read the latest trends in micro-enterprises, rural start-ups and the shifting livelihoods of India’s villagers.

her life

He’s saving Tripura’s puppetry tradition, no strings attached!

Prabhitangshu Das, who heads the Tripura Puppet Theatre Group, is at the forefront of preserving the craft in his state. From making children smarter to creating social change, there’s much to be gained from puppetry, he believes.

her life

Rural women in Maharashtra get a taste of emancipation

Farm Didi, led by a mission to uplift women in rural Maharashtra, promises more than just delicious products. It leverages women’s expertise in food production to create high-quality, preservative-free products.

her life

Tripura’s “suitcase water purifier” is going places

Saving lives and plastic – a Tripura professor’s clever innovation is bringing safe drinking water to those stranded by disaster. The portable “suitcase water purifier” converts turbid flood water into mineral-rich drinking water.

her life

Nutty Village ensures Unnao’s farmers don’t get peanuts for groundnuts

Aman Kumar, a TISS graduate, returned to Unnao in Uttar Pradesh to create Nutty Village, a social enterprise focused on empowering smallholder farmers by transforming locally grown groundnuts into value-added products like peanut butter and energy bars.

her life

Fearless stuntmen of Kannauj carry family legacy of daring feats

Satyam and his father Raghuvir Bharti from Uttar Pradesh perform daring stunts such as inserting needles and pouring molten wax on their skin, walking on sharp glass, and balancing on fire — death-defying acts rooted in their family legacy.

her life

Bihar’s Jeevika programme helps rural women rise from despair to dignity

In rural Bihar, the Jeevika programme, led by the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society and supported by the World Bank, is empowering women from marginalised communities by providing financial support and livelihood opportunities.

her life

Meet Sukhpal Kaur, the bee queen of Punjab

Faced with her husband’s debilitating accident, Sukhpal Kaur transformed their small honey business from 50 to 550 hive boxes, creating a sustainable livelihood for her family and becoming a leading figure in beekeeping.

her life

A blooming business journey against the odds

Karishma Choyal, a young entrepreneur from rural Madhya Pradesh, transformed adversity into opportunity when she built a thriving flower business during the pandemic.

her life

Bobbing along: How a simple machine can uplift artisans

The simple yet revolutionary hank to bobbin machine can transform the ancient art of weaving, enhancing incomes and preserving tradition while ushering artisans into a more prosperous future.