Odisha
Odisha women earn lakhs by cooking patua from veggie peels
Most of us may discard the nutrient-rich vegetable peels as waste, but the rural women of Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts in Odisha are now using them to prepare the traditional patua dish and earn a living.
Pad perfect – championing menstrual hygiene
Two humble initiatives in Odisha and Jammu and Kashmir are making a difference in the lives of thousands of rural women by providing them easy access to sanitary napkins.
Odisha village reunites with man missing for 60 years
Tears of joy sweep Luhagudi in Gajapati district as children of Gobardhana Lahara help the septuagenarian to rediscover his roots.
Dhinki delight in Odisha: Bringing back hand-pounded ragi
When doctors suggested finger millet gruel for her husband’s ailment, Saraswati Naik of Asuki village in Kendujhar district not only started growing ragi, but also pounded it by hand to retain its nutritional value. She now swears by it.
Dying Siali craft keeps Mankidia tribe on the edge
The tribe was displaced from the Similipal forest when it became a national park, which reduced access to the Siali creeper they weave into ropes and baskets.
Cut off from forests, Odisha’s tribe struggles to survive
Once known for its intricate relationship with the forest, the Hill Kharia tribal community in Odisha now battles malnutrition and other serious health issues.
Odisha’s blind women cricketers eye spot in Indian squad
For five young Odia women who started playing blind women’s cricket for their state just four years back, being shortlisted for the national team fills them with hope to represent India internationally.
How ‘Canal Man’ channelled strength for Odisha village
Daitari Naik’s Talabaitarani village in Kendujhar district is no longer the parched land where people were forced to drink muddied water. The 3km canal he dug almost single-handedly ensures lush crops all year round.
Drone didi: Odisha sarpanch takes aerial route to deliver pension
Saroj Agarwal of Baleswar gram panchayat in Nuapada district is promising to deliver more services in remote villages through a drone, having used it already to deliver a pension.
Tech transforms tribal women’s lives in Odisha, Jharkhand
Tribal women farmers, despite their extraordinary contribution to farm labour, are on the receiving end of multifaceted, systemic discrimination. A tech enabled project by Digital Green is empowering this vulnerable group to become agents of change within their communities.
Patayat Sahu’s tale of plants, potions and Padma Shri
Country recognises 65-year-old villager of Nandol in Odisha for curating a garden with 3000 varieties of medicinal plants that help to cure many ailments.
Mixing it up: Odisha farmer’s journey inspires other women
In a mineral rich district of northern Odisha, Suprava Pradhan achieves financial independence by mixing millet cultivation with other crops, like mushrooms, and rearing livestock too, paving the way for other women farmers.
Hockey popularity prompts Odisha children to wield sticks
Children of Khambesi in remote Rayagada district throng to the playing arena, underscoring the ever-increasing love for the game in India’s hockey cradle.
“Tears of joy rolled down my cheeks as I received the award”
Damayanti Nayak’s inspiring journey is causing many farmers to take up collectivized and synchronized farming. Here Damayanti recalls how she went from growing crops for self consumption to earning 2 lacs from farming - in her own words
Why a road is a roadblock for Bonda Tribes in Odisha
A slushy, patchy, potholed road is pushing up transportation costs, preventing tribal inhabitants of Andrahal village in Odisha's Malkangiri district from availing government loans for building pucca houses.
Photo essay: When millets go mainstream to bring a revolution
Once known as poor man’s food, millets are being recognised for their nutrition and climate resilience. In Odisha, tribal women self-help groups are leading a revolution through their millet-based food enterprises.
Ills of eucalyptus drive Odisha tribals back to legacy crops
In southern Odisha farmers are switching from water-guzzling eucalyptus trees to diversified farming of traditional crops to boost soil fertility, crop yield, household income and dietary diversity.
To buy supplies, millet is money in Koraput’s barter system in Odisha
Women across tribal villages store mandia or finger millets in large containers and take out small portions throughout the year for soap, oil, vegetables, dried fish, tobacco and the like
Synchronised farming, collective marketing boost farmers’ income in Odisha
Farmers in an Odisha village are reaping rewards from synchronised cultivation and coming together as a collective for purchase and sale of their produce.
Humble broom sweeps poverty from tribal hamlets in Odisha’s Koraput
Made mostly by tribal women, the humble household broom is a designated handicraft that is bringing income and empowering many families to become financially independent and protect their forests.