Assam
A saviour school for Assam’s displaced Bengali Muslim children
Musabirul Hoque, a social activist who represents Assam’s displaced Bengali Muslims, sets up a school for children of the community, giving them a fresh chance at life. Village Square does a recce.
Here’s a film that takes masks of Majuli to the people
In an exclusive tete-e-tete, Mask Art of Majuli director Utpal Borpujari tells us more about the short film, set in the world's largest river island in Assam, which will be screened at Village Square’s Chitrashaala short film festival.
Her producers’ group helps this Assamese farmer earn more
Somina Khatun followed conventional practices of farming. After becoming a member of a self-help group and subsequently a farmer producers’ group, she learned about sustainable ways of farming that boosts her yields and income.
Solar energy brings a shining solution for Assam’s villagers
In remote villages of Assam that have no or erratic power supply, locally produced solar energy helps villagers access digital services and also become small entrepreneurs to enhance their income.
Assam farmers reap benefits of sustainable irrigation technique
Alternate wetting and drying, a sustainable irrigation technique, is helping paddy farmers in Assam reduce the cost of irrigation, enhance crop production and decrease methane emissions from their fields.
Majuli mask of Assam receives GI tag
Majuli masks of Assam receive the prestigious Geographical Indicator(GI) tag for their unique cultural tradition. The craft dates back to the 15th century and is made on bamboo frames, with unique clay.
Reviving muga silk and more at Majuli island
This fashion designer quit her life and work in the metro cities to move to the Majuli island in Assam and help the local artisans revive and revamp their traditional silk weaving skills.
Assam villagers ward off elephants with draw of lots
Over 160 villages located near Manas National Park in Assam participate in an annual lottery that funds upkeep of solar-powered electric fences to keep rampaging elephants off crop fields and homes, reducing human-wildlife conflicts.
8 rural women who got the Padma Shri this year
From training elephants to healing people with herbal medicines, these heart-driven Padma Shri recipients of 2024 are raising the bar in social impact, and establishing a legacy through their contributions.
An elephant on the loom in river island Majuli
Battered by crop depredation and low farm yield, Majuli’s weavers grasp the loom of opportunity, creating not just garments but a narrative woven with threads of hope and transformation.
Guardians of the hoolock gibbons of Hollongapar
In Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Assam, tourist guides stand as sentinels, ensuring that the echoes of “hook hook hook-ooo” continue to resound through the ancient hollong trees, signalling a harmony between humans and nature.
Tezpur’s artistry in motion
One of Assam’s oldest handloom enterprise is a small scale family run business, employing fifteen rural women who have been weaving their magic into the traditional looms for 35 years to create unique motifs in sarees and dress materials in Tezpur.
India’s most haunted villages
From ghostly apparitions to hair-raising tales, this list reveals the country's supernatural secrets.
How Assam deals with floods every year
Annual floods in Assam bring hardship, contaminated water, disrupted education, and ruined farms. Government support falls short, leaving them vulnerable to nature's fury.
Assam rhinos in safe hands
Rhinoceros conservation is not easy in Assam, but sustained efforts from officials and the community to curb poaching have yielded successful results, making the northeastern state nothing less than a haven for the herbivore.
Women farmers go extra mile in Assam
Undeterred by lack of recognition, women farmers equip themselves with new skills to earn more by increasing productivity and growing additional crops in Darrang district of Assam.
Assam woman pickles her way to success
This micro-entrepreneur from Assam started her pickle-making business after several hurdles and now successfully runs it on solar power, selling her products online across India.
Earth Overshoot Day: A call for sustained conservation efforts
The World Overshoot Day today once again serves as a reminder that human demands on nature surpass the planet's biocapacity. The effects are for everyone to see, especially in rural areas.
Why Assam’s gaon burha governance system remains popular
The Rabha community in Assam has its own traditional governance system called gaon burha, wherein a committee of village elders solves conflicts without external intervention.
Multiple income streams sustain tribal families in Assam
From growing multiple crops on forest land they have been cultivating for ages to rearing livestock and weaving, tribal families in Assam rely on different income sources to sustain themselves.