Bundelkhand

Amid India’s growing water crisis, meet five inspiring water warriors who are restoring ponds, building check dams, and bringing clean water to millions. This September, The Better India Showcase 2025 is honouring their impact.

Rambabu Tiwari, a PhD student from the Bundelkhand region, embarked on a mission to address water issues at just 17. Despite resistance from family and friends, he mobilised villagers to desilt and revive around 75 ponds, earning recognition from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Akash Chaurasia from Madhya Pradesh has won over 20 national awards for pioneering the concept of multilayer farming. Here’s how it has helped him and other farmers earn better.

Madhya Pradesh resident Varsha Raikwar is a radio jockey on Radio Bundelkhand. Here’s all about her mission to educate villages about climate change and environment degradation.

EF Polymer is a Rajasthan-based agri-tech startup that has created the Fasal Amrit, an organic super absorbant polymer made of bio waste generated at juice shops.

Babita Rajput from Agrotha village in Madhya Pradesh convinced the villagers to dig a 12-feet wide trench to divert the rainwater to the village. Here’s how she went about it

Ganga Rajput from Chaudhury Khera village in Bundelkhand, Madhya Pradesh rallied the women in her community to revive the 1,000-year-old Baba Talab with the help of NGO Parmath Samaj Sevi Sanstha

District Magistrate Heera Lal helped motivate the people, who raised a district brought to its knees by drought all the way to the cusp of water self-sufficiency.

And that’s not all. From boosting the food output of unirrigated farms to providing sanitation in rural homes, Avni Singh put his heart and soul into making villages in 4 Indian states self-sufficient.

How did a single person’s efforts lead to a forest spanning five acres in Bundelkhand, a region notorious for its arid geography, sparse rainfall, and decade-long droughts?