Partho Burman

If you lived in Jeliakhali, a village in the Sundarbans, water would decide your year. After seasons of watching rain disappear, soil wash away, and wells run low, farmers here dug ponds on their own land with support from Gram Samriddhi Foundation.

It began with one troubled mother walking into a hospital and meeting a couple who simply chose to listen. What followed set the course for Anandgram, a place where 650 HIV-positive children found safety and care far from the fear they once lived with.

When Sundeep Talwar met a young boy who lost his mobility in an accident, he refused to stop at sympathy. His idea sparked NeoBolt — a motorised wheelchair that’s now helping over 7,000 people across India move freely, earn a living, and live with dignity.

For decades, families in Bengal’s tribal belt drank water laced with iron and arsenic. That changed when Meghdutam Foundation installed an ultrafiltration plant, bringing clean, safe water to over 3,000 villagers and restoring health, dignity, and hope.

Bay leaf cultivation in North Dinajpur, West Bengal, has grown into a Rs 400 crore industry in 20 years. Women are key in sorting and drying, earning dignified incomes and reshaping agricultural livelihoods. Learn how this spice boom is changing lives.

Armed with nothing but curiosity, 70-year-old Krishna Chandra Halder from Hooghly cross-pollinated two papaya varieties to create a new hybrid. Today, he harvests 75,000 kg annually, trains other farmers, and proves that innovation can thrive in even the most humble farms.

Behind every Manam Chocolate bar is a farmer’s name, a family’s story, and a field in West Godavari. By working directly with cocoa farmers, this brand is blending impact with indulgence—and showing the world that India’s best chocolate grows from care, not just cacao.

Dr Biswajit Roy, Assistant Professor at Pijush Kanti Mukherjee Mahavidyalaya, West Bengal, with the help of villagers, has preserved ancient historical relics in the Debagram Museum in the village.

Matiur Rahaman from West Bengal is a social activist who has been bringing back dead bodies from abroad. He has also liberated many labourers who got stuck either in overseas jails or detention camps since 2017.

Twenty farmers from Balagarh Block in West Bengal’s Hooghly district are growing a variety of watermelons using the poly mulching technique endorsed by the ATMA (Agriculture Technology Management Agency) scheme. This method saves water and improves the fertility of the land too.