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
Azolla “water weed” becomes cattle superfood
With the cost of maintaining livestock a constant burden for most poor farmers, azolla goes from being a pesky water weed to a sustainable and cost-effective superfood for cattle.
Tikuli art – Born from bindis
Bright, elaborately designed bindis that 17th century women wore gave birth to the tikuli style of painting, which was hugely popular before fading into obscurity. Today the art form is seeing a revival, despite pandemic-induced setbacks.
Young twitcher becomes desert’s star birding guide
With a passion for birds, birding guide Musa Khan hopes his work will inspire other twitchers to become aware of rising bird deaths due to power transmission lines in the Thar desert.
Hot iron branding of babies fizzles out
In a unique approach, healthcare workers in rural Odisha engaged traditional healers – who once branded newborn babies with a hot iron to try and cure illnesses – to curb this harmful practice.
Weavers keep Bastar’s pata saree tradition alive
Artisans are hopeful traditional handloom weaving will get a much-needed boost in Bastar, Chhattisgarh - home of the pata saree - as the government plans to start a weaving hub.
A young woman engineer spurs hope for pottery in Kashmir
Traditional potters struggling to survive are confident of better business again after a young woman who found hope through pottery is bringing it back into the limelight.
Abandoned as an infant, she brings up orphaned girls
Knowing the pain of being abandoned and growing up in an orphanage, Parkash Kaur brings up abandoned girls, giving them a loving home, care and a good education.
Forget logging or hunting – two Assam villages embrace ecotourism
Giving up hunting and tree felling, two Assamese villages are conserving their forest habitat rather than let their natural resources erode. With their villages now on the eco-tourism map, they are embracing alternate livelihoods.
Assam’s rural theatre: Curtains up or down?
Despite competition from Netflix and YouTube, small theatre troupes in Assam enjoy a loyal patronage. Yet, with acting as their main livelihood, the artists face uncertainty during the pandemic.