"There can be no development without women"
REACHING Doongri, a picturesque village perched 1,750 m above sea level in the Pindar valley in Chamoli district, is a daunting task. The nearest …
Chipko: an unfinished mission
In 20 years, Chipko has acquired many facets, primarily as a conservation endeavour by the poor, a struggle for local control of natural …
Healer extraordinaire
The death of Arun Kumar Sen, the inspiration behind the Students' Health Home, the biggest medical insurance scheme run by students in the country,…
A motley crew of forest protectors
In Karnataka's Kodagu district, a group of people battling timber traders trying to exploit their region's virgin forests has earned the wrath of …
Project brings cheap cement to the village
Narasimharaju's dream of providing inexpensive cement for rural use will come true when his plant starts production later this year.
United, these survive, save and survive
A voluntary organisation is transforming the lifestyles of villagers by involving women in collective work. The men are also following suit, but …
Will women in panchayats change Bengal?
West Bengal is making what could be another step towards village self-rule, where villagers, including women, will decide what is best for them, …
धुआं-मुक्त ‘सिटी ऑफ जॉय’
धुएं की बढ़ती समस्या ने आधिकारिक चिंता और घबराहट पैदा कर दी, और वर्ष 1863 में कोलकाता धुआं रुकावट कानून लागू करने वाला विश्व ...
Tribals solve problems through self - reliance
The Budakattu Krishikara Sangha, with its emphasis on people-oriented strategies, has improved tremendously the lot of the tribals in and around …
Value addition
A Pune teacher develops a calculator made out of cardboard for as little as Rs 15, which can even handle mindbending logarithms.
Developing distress
The birth-pangs of development have been faced so far by the downtrodden, but things need to change soon
Villegers blueprint their own development
MYRADA moves a step forward in rural appraisal programmes, emphasising the necessity of involving villagers in their own development.
Breaking the rural barrier
The Centre for Application of Science and Technology to Rural Areas, set up in 1974, was a bold effort at bringing appropriate technology to the …
I hate scavenging, but what else can I do?
Rameshwari has been working as a scavenger in the pilgrim town of Ajmer in Rajasthan for the last 15 years. She abhors her work, yet she does it …
Helping children find work at home
Gramashrama, a children-based organisation in Karnataka, is trying to understand the causes of migration and prevent the exodus of youngsters …
The hesitant growth of surgery in Bengal
Rapid strides in Western medicine and surgery relegated Indian medical systems to the back seat, especially because of brahmanical abhorrence of …
Fisherfolk thwart bid to reclaim wetlands
A unique fishing cooperative that salvaged the wetlands leased to them by the Calcutta Port Trust has successfully fought off attempts to …
Skilled hands turn waste bark into art
The planting of commercially valuable chir trees has become embroiled in controversy in Ultar Pradesh's Almora district. But a local …
From miracle cures to holistic development
A doctor whose aim once was to treat poor patients, now helps Soliga tribals to assert their rights and choose their own way of development.
Working children find a home in Bangalore
A voluntary group helps street children by organising them into associations and building a home for them.
Acknowledging the role of the arbitrator
The Nuer tribals of Sudan settled their disputes in more organised and effective a manner than modern societies
Dharna to defecation: The Indian art of protest
Through the centuries, Indians have evolved several novel ways to protest injustice. Many are still practised in India and some have even been …
Temples of irrigation and land management
From the 9th century to the 16th century, south Indian kingdoms did not have irrigation or public works departments. Temples were given the job …
No more bribes, Gujjars tell foresters
The prospect of being kept out of forests they have occupied for 50 winters, on the pretext of environmental conservation, the Gujjars of Uttar …