The Better India stories

In Seem village, Uttarakhand, Jaya & Atul Shah turned 17 books into a library of 1,400. Today, it spans 5 villages, inspiring 400+ children with stories and hope.

What began as a small act inspired by a neighbour became a 25-year-long green movement. With no funds or land, Bholeshwar Palange has grown and donated over 1 lakh saplings — turning a parking lot into a thriving nursery and involving his entire family in the mission.

Built with locally-grown bamboo and mud from the fields, the farmstay is sustainability personified, not just in its construction but also in the quotidian habits of the family that runs it.

Meet three women sarpanches from Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh who are transforming rural India. One rescued a child bride. One broke caste barriers. One led menstrual health drives. Together, they show how women-led governance brings dignity, inclusion, and bold change where it’s needed most—at the heart of India’s villages.

In the hours after the crash, strangers became first responders — collecting gold, donating blood, rescuing animals, and reminding us what humanity looks like.

Gukesh’s father left behind his career as an ENT surgeon, and his mother was the sole breadwinner — how Rajinikanth and Padma Kumari supported Gukesh’s journey to global chess glory.