Baba Amte: The inspiring gardener

"I am not a sadhubaba," Baba Amte always made it a point to assert. The indomitable spirit behind the struggle towards a 'total revolution' is no more. An Ambdedkarite by philosophy and a Gandhian by his political actions, Baba devoted his life to antyodaya--uplift of the most oppressed.

Tragopan country

Drought fails to crush a Bundelkhand village

Uttar Pradesh's Bundelkhand region has been devastated by drought and other adverse weather conditions over the past four years. Madhaiya Anghela village in Madhogarh sub-division of Jalaun district exhibits the typical symptoms farm-related livelihoods are in tatters. Villagers say the kharif crop this year is only 20 per cent of normal years. The prospects for the rabi crop are very dim--the soil has little to no moisture.

Coimbatore attempts to save waterbodies

In times of crisis there are two things one can do: crib and cry or do something about it. When the groundwater in the industrial city of Coimbatore plunged to 300 m at some places four years ago, its corporate houses and residents opted for the second way out: they took matters into their hands.

Stories of success and failure

sampat Lal is not the protagonist of a typical Down To Earth story. He's the treasurer of a cooperative that runs a fair price shop in a Rajasthan village. Quite successfully, in fact. Lal belongs to a cooperative of mine workers. There are quite a few such cooperatives in Rajasthan now (see Features Mine workers in Rajasthan form cooperatives). Thanks to these associations, mine-workers can expect a fair deal in many parts of the state. The success of the fair price shop run must also be

Rajasthan mine workers form cooperatives

Mine workers in different parts of Rajasthan have got together to form cooperative. ARCHI RASTOGI visits them and finds that these cooperative are an entreprenurial success RUN PDS SHOP IN RAJSAMAND, GET FISHING LEASE