Art of endurance: traditional needlework helps women of Thar overcome hardships
The Karni Mata temple in Bikaner is a temple where rats are worshipped and fed. To see a white rat among all the black and grey rats is considered great fortune. I could not spot a white rat during my trip to Bikaner, but I would still call myself fortunate. If not the white rat (who is considered the embodiment of Karni Mata), I met several women, who have battled harsh weather, an arid terrain, stunted vegetation and a patriarchal soc…
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Posted on : January 21, 2020
Ever wondered where those sparrows went? The one that rested on your window on a hot, lazy afernoon… and the one that perched on the railing of your balcony every morning and greeted you with its pleasantries? Our winged and feathered friends -- sparrows, vultures, Edward’s Pheasants even the finches that inspired Darwin to work out the theory of evolution, are all staging a disappearing act. And human’s have a major role to pla…
We all love Melas. Who doesn’t? The shopping stalls, games and a host of other fun activities are a sure shot way to lift your spirits, even as the mercury drops to nearly zero degrees. But the Shop4Good – an NGO Mela organised by CAF India at Palam Triangle, Gurugram was shopping carnival with a twist. It had a higher purpose. The initiative aims to bring together different NGOs committed for driving social change in our community and give…
Disability is a matter of perception. Disabled people are not the ones, who are not ‘normal’ as per societal parameters. But real disability is not being able to find joy in life. My entire perception about disability changed since, when I visited a Green Skilling centre at Chetna - a day care centre run by Richmond Fellowship Society (RFS) India, Bangalore to do an independent evaluation of the project.
The Green Skilling progra…
Magdali Dhan, 68, lives in Bala village of Sunagi Panchayat in Jharkhand. A few years ago, she lost her husband. Childless, Magdali has no one to call her own. Some time ago, she developed problems with her eyesight. Old, poor and alone -- Magdhali, did not have the means or the access for medical treatment. She approached her village panchayat, but to no avail.
Luckily, Magdhali, found a friend in Santoshi Kumari – a ‘Vridha Mit…
On an average, the body of an adult human being is 60 percent water. About 71 percent of the Earth’s surface is water-covered and the oceans hold about 96.5 percent of all Earth’s water. Water sustains life. Life will cease to exist if we don’t have water albeit, most of the water on Earth is unusable and only three percent of the world’s water is fresh water – that can essentially be used for human consumption.
But centuries of expl…
Over a billion people overcame poverty in the past 15 years, but extreme climate events and natural disasters force millions of people into poverty every year. The planet is in a volatile state. Extreme weather events due to climate change, natural calamities, and civil unrest, puts our fragile planet at risk. And India, an agrarian economy, highly dependent on Monsoon, is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world.
In the ye…
Not much has been written or documented about the Korkus. Snuggling comfortably in the lap of nature, the Korkus are one of the lesser known tribes in India. I got a chance to know them closely during a visit to Khalwa block of Khandwa district, Madhya Pradesh.
Set within the breath-taking landscape of Kalibhit forests in the shadow of Satpura range, the area boasts of world’s largest ‘Sagwaan’ forests. The Khalwa block in the district i…