blueprints for better

In 2025, India made strides in empowering millions, from farmers to women and youth. Key changes in digital health, social protection, and skill development have had a profound impact. 42 million farmers, 32 million women, and 116,000 youth gained stability, support, and new opportunities, driving India’s progress.

This Children’s Day, why not give kids a safe, respectful environment to live in instead of toys and gifts? Here is how gentle parenting, when done right, ensures parents have conversations with children and not control.

In Maharashtra’s Vidarbha, fly ash had turned fertile lands into grey, lifeless zones. But one scientist is leading a revolution using bamboo and eco-rejuvenation science to bring them back to life. This green transformation is not just saving the soil—it’s creating clean air, jobs, and fresh hope.

On World Suicide Prevention Day, Dr Aninda Sidhana offers a toolkit for families, educators, and peers on how to help a youth in India who is silently battling fears, hopelessness, and pressures.

What happens when a child never goes to school? Garima and Aditya’s unschooling journey with their son Vedas shows a life of deep learning, play, and freedom. From quiet hills to bustling cities, families across India are exploring this radical, heart-led path of trusting their children and themselves.

Beyond street protests, a powerful fight to protect Uttarakhand’s environment is unfolding in the courtrooms. Lawyers, citizen groups, and individual petitioners are winning landmark cases that preserve forests, rivers, and wildlife corridors. This is the story of how legal action is becoming one of Uttarakhand’s most effective tools for ecological justice.

As Dehradun battles rising temperatures and shrinking green spaces, students, volunteers, and everyday citizens are stepping up. From peaceful protests to riverside clean-ups, their collective action is reshaping how the city protects its forests, trees, and public spaces. This is the story of how civic movements are rewriting Dehradun’s future.

What if everything you knew about schizophrenia was wrong? This article gently peels back the layers of stigma, with a psychologist explaining the truths behind a misunderstood mental illness. Through warmth and clarity, it urges us to rethink assumptions and respond with compassion rather than fear.

From citizen-led air monitoring in Aligarh to climate justice conversations at COP26, Dr. Ashish Sharma shows how everyday Indians are leading change. Grounded in empathy, behaviour, and community science, this narrative calls for systemic reforms, co-created solutions, and inclusive policies that centre the most vulnerable in India’s fight for clean air.

Through decades of global research and grassroots work, Dr. Ashish Sharma reveals how India’s fight for clean air is as much about policy and technology as it is about people. From baby strollers in polluted streets to citizen-led sensors and urban policy, this is a call to reimagine our cities — together.