Village Square

Women in rural Nalanda are popularizing the use of a traditional grinding stone to pound flour out of roasted gram, providing a healthier alternative to machine-ground sattu and earning a livelihood for themselves. Mohd Imran Khan takes a closer look.

Breaking long-held taboos, Alwar's Meo Muslim girls have put themselves in school and the results are showing. Tarun Kanti Bose takes a closer look.

Kitchen gardens tended by women in Gumla district boost rural diets by providing a rich variety of local cereals, pulses and vegetables.

Many farmers in India, the world’s top coconut producing country, have successfully introduced coconut farming in arid regions to meet growing demand and to boost earnings. Hiren Kumar Bose takes a closer look.

Increased healthcare expenses and lack of access to hospitals prompt a women’s collective in eastern Uttar Pradesh to run a biweekly village clinic on family subscriptions. Sandeep Chavan takes a closer look.

Despite insufficient income, lean periods during monsoons and unexpected hardship such as the floods this year, the Sumra Muslim potters return every year to Sarkhej Roza, where the pots they make are bought by Hindu wholesale traders, evoking secular unity. Gajanan Khergamker takes a closer look.

Designing and building the temporary pavilions that house the deity during West Bengal’s biggest annual festival remains the preserve of rural artisans — chiefly farmers and folk artists — despite an increasing presence of professionals. Rajeshwari Sharma takes a closer look.

Judicious use of wild uncultivated foods and revival of indigenous crops are helping the Dongria Kondh tribe of Niyamgiri to boost food security beyond their successful campaign against mining gaint Vedanta. Abhijit Mohanty takes a closer look.

Linking failing health to hybrid seeds, Rahibai Soma Popere of Kombhalne village in Maharashtra conserves hundreds of native varieties and encourages other farmers to grow traditional crops. Ashlesha Deo takes a closer look.

A group of farmers have converted a shunned wetland to practice fish farming, agro-forestry and horticulture, providing employment and livelihood opportunities to impoverished villagers. Mohd Imran Khan takes a closer look.