Aatreyee Dhar

Assam

Reporter. Fellow at Village Square. Email: aatreyee.dhar56@gmail. Awards:Laadli_PF, Red Ink Awards 2022. Bylines:Guardian, BBC Future, Telegraph UK, BMJ+

Articles

India’s bamboo bounty yields little for artisans, cultivators and entrepreneurs

1 week ago | scroll.in | Aatreyee Dhar

Adiram Reang, an indigenous farmer who belongs to the Autonomous District Council village of Bagmara, in Dhalai district, 125 km from the state capital Agartala, wanted to own Kanak Kaich bamboo plantations. But when he found out about Tripura’s State Bamboo Mission, about 15 years back, he decided it would not be a profitable venture. “From what I heard, the beneficiaries griped about the thorny quality bamboo that is not in demand for sale outside the state,” he said.
Why India Is Struggling To Be A World Leader In Bamboo

2 weeks ago | indiaspend.com | Aatreyee Dhar

Agartala, Tripura: Adiram Reang, an indigenous farmer who belongs to the Autonomous District Council (ADC) village of Bagmara, in Dhalai district, 125 km from the state capital Agartala, wanted to own Kanak Kaich bamboo plantations. But when he found out about Tripura's State Bamboo Mission (TSBM), about 15 years back, he decided it would not be a profitable venture.
A chemistry professor’s quest to save orchids in Assam

Dec 30, 2024 | villagesquare.in | Aatreyee Dhar

In Assam, the blooming of the foxtail orchids, or the kopou phool, marks the coming of spring. The exotic rare orchid, which is the state flower of Assam, sparked a curiosity in Ankur Rajgogoi who decided to find out about different varieties of the plant. Over a decade ago, in 2010, he decided to plant a foxtail orchid at his home in village Kukurasora of Charaideo district as he found himself staring at the flower.
A Bodoland mission to help victims of conflict heal

Dec 26, 2024 | villagesquare.in | Aatreyee Dhar

Ever since Abdul [name changed] had seen his house set ablaze by a certain community during the 2012 riots, he had felt vengeful. As a part of the Bodoland Happiness Mission, Abdul underwent almost seven years of healing and trauma counselling, which helped him realise that the conflict between the two communities had spared no one. “I realised ‘hinsa’ [revenge] was a part of the problem, never the solution. I have forgiven the people who did this to my home,” he says.
Majestic mountain escapes beyond the Indian Himalayas

Dec 11, 2024 | villagesquare.in | Aatreyee Dhar |Saswatik Tripathy |Kartik Chandra Prusty |Novita Singh

India, and the wider Indian subcontinent, is famous among mountaineers for the Himalayan peaks that are considered to be among the highest in the world. However, lesser-known hill stations tend to be overlooked. This International Mountain Day, Village Square curates a list of such unconventional mountain getaways that give adrenaline junkies the rush of conquering a peak outside Himalayan country.
She’s a lifeline for Meghalaya’s endangered western hoolock gibbons

Dec 10, 2024 | villagesquare.in | Aatreyee Dhar |Saswatik Tripathy |Kartik Chandra Prusty |Novita Singh

Betsida Marak, the manager of the world’s largest gibbon rescue initiative at the Sonja Wildlife Rescue Centre in Meghalaya’s Garo hills, is committed to protecting the western hoolock gibbons. It is a species of primates found in its highest density in this region, with about 500 of them at last count. The rescue centre, which was started in 2009 by Florian Magne, a French conservationist, caters to 10 hoolock gibbons that have been rescued from either poaching, domestication or injury.
The discipline behind tree-pose record breaker’s success

Dec 5, 2024 | villagesquare.in | Rema Sundar |Kumar Gaurav |Aatreyee Dhar

In the serene foothills of Uttarakhand, Mayank Bhatt, a devoted gurukul student, has achieved the extraordinary by breaking the world record for Vrikshasana (tree pose), holding the position for an astonishing 3 hours and 5 minutes. Bhatt’s success is rooted in the simple yet rigorous lifestyle of his gurukul, where discipline, spirituality, and physical endurance form the foundation of daily life.
For Maha agripreneur and UN Land Hero, agroforestry is the future

Dec 5, 2024 | villagesquare.in | Rema Sundar |Kumar Gaurav |Aatreyee Dhar

Maharashtrian Siddhesh Sakore, founder of AGRO RANGERS is the sole Indian to be honoured among 10 Land Heroes by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). He speaks to Village Square on his journey from engineering to agripreneurship and setting up AGRO RANGERS to empower youth and farmers in his drought-prone region. Siddhesh Sakore: It feels amazing to be recognised for our hard work by the United Nations.
Education comes to a community ridiculed as rat-eaters

Dec 4, 2024 | villagesquare.in | Kumar Gaurav |Aatreyee Dhar

Hearing the phrase “Musahar ke aulad – tu padhai karbe” was common for the girls and boys of the oppressed communities in Bihar. The casteist slur, which translates to “how dare you, the children of rat-eater Dalits, get educated,” typified the oppression of the age-old caste system. However, a school for Musahar girls in Patna, the capital of Bihar, has been challenging the status quo.
He’s saving Tripura’s puppetry tradition, no strings attached!

Dec 3, 2024 | villagesquare.in | Aatreyee Dhar |Kumar Gaurav |Atiqur Rahman

Every fourth Saturday of the month, the terrace of 54-year-old puppeteer Prabhitangshu Das’s home near Agartala’s Netaji Chowmuhani locality, is transformed into a lively puppet theatre. Children can be seen rehearsing till 10 pm, after they are through with their studies for the day. The terrace is a flurry of activity, from crafting colourful props, learning to manoeuvre puppets, and rehearsing dialogues to writing scripts. Through it all, Prabhitangshu handholds each of his 10 students.