Village Vibe celebrates the art, culture and festivals of India’s village life. Urbanites aren’t the only ones who become social media stars, produce stunning art, enjoy food fads or follow fitness crazes. And as for festivals, there’s a totally different vibe in the villages.
Village Vibe
Die cast for vanishing cowbells of Jharkhand
Blacksmiths practising the ancient art form of making cowbells are struggling to make ends meet as sales have dipped, with rural folks keeping fewer cattle now.
FTLO art, visit this West Bengal village
Country folks from a rugged, tree-lined rural corner of West Bengal that only a handful had ever heard of have transformed their village into one giant art project.
Heritage drink feni high in Goa, falls flat abroad
Prohibitive liquor laws have confined feni to Goa, some distillers tried their hand abroad and failed, but hyper-local brewers still have a steady clientele
Kenbo motorbikes of Chinese make riding high in Manipur despite ban
Kenbo, an inexpensive motorbike of Chinese make smuggled across the border, continues to be a rage in Ukhrul and Kamjong because of many advantages compared to Indian motorcycles, even though they are banned.
Immerse yourself in a sea of tulips this summer
Sitting pretty on a strip between Srinagar’s Dal Lake and the snow-capped Zabarwan mountains, Asia’s largest tulip garden is set to witness 1.6 million tulips blossom.
Theyyam – Narrating stories of gods
Theyyam, also known as kaliyattam, derives its origin from the Malayalam word "daivam", which means god. The performance, held mostly in the rural districts of Kannur and Kasargod of Kerala between December and April, is often confused with the more popular Kathakali, thanks to its elaborate costume, headgear and makeup. However, there are more than 450 forms of theyyam, each with a distinct costume, makeup and ritual. Like many other traditional performing art forms of the country, theyyam too uses the elements of dance, music and theatre to narrate the stories of deities or legendary heroes.
‘Men acknowledge domestic violence shown in our plays’
Munia Murmu, 42, believes theatre has empowered her tremendously to address systemic, social issues of domestic violence and gender discrimination in her village. We speak to her about the transformative potential theatre holds for many women like her in Bihar and the rest of India.
‘We brought Shakespeare to Punjab stage’
As a class X student in Amritsar, Rajinder Singh started Dastak, a theatre group, in 1996 because he could not access theatre training due to lack of resources. We speak to him about his fascinating storytelling journey.
Tribal artist creates coat of many colours for PM
Sakshi Bhyadiya from Jhobat in Madhya Pradesh found fame when PM Modi wore a jacket with Pithora artwork painted by her.