astha chaudhary

Nov 30, 2023 | edgeeffects.net | Dipti Arora |astha chaudhary

In February 2022, a farmer named Arif found an injured Sarus crane on his farm in Uttar Pradesh, India. Arif nursed the crane and brought him home. Over time, a deep bond developed between Arif and Sarus. The bird would follow Arif wherever he went, and if Arif went far, Sarus would return home and wait for him. While other family members didn’t share the same level of attachment, they were comfortable with the bird and appreciated his presence.

Sep 13, 2023 | villagesquare.in | Aamir Ali Bhat |Niroj Ranjan Misra |Dipti Arora |astha chaudhary

Jalali House, a downtown Srinagar marvel, hosts political dignitaries from pre and post-independence India. This heritage gem also stars in Bollywood films, drawing tourists to the valley. While trying to earn through her SHG, so as to care for her widowed ill mother and abandoned niece and nephew, Minati Panda came face to face with corruption. Since then she has been working towards eradicating corruption.

Sep 13, 2023 | villagesquare.in | Niroj Ranjan Misra |Dipti Arora |astha chaudhary |Gurvinder Singh

Minati Panda, 50, ofKalabuda village under Garadpur block of Kendrapada district, began her work against corruption more than 12 years ago. She talks about her journey in her own words. We, a family of six, lived in a cramped three-room house. A part of the house collapsed during cyclone Fani in 1999. My father, a priest, made a thatched roof for the collapsed part. Despite the lack of a steady income, he managed to save a bit and get my two elder sisters and brother married.

Sep 12, 2023 | villagesquare.in | Dipti Arora |astha chaudhary |Gurvinder Singh

On a sunny day, we met Fakirabhai at Misiriyado village in Gujarat’s banni grasslands, home to the Wadha community. He was busy crafting something out of wood, while his son sat beside him. His wife was busy with the household chores. He belongs to the Wadha or Me, a lesser-known community living in Gujarat. When we asked Fakirabhai about his work, he smiled and shared the history of the work and how their name also represents it.

May 18, 2023 | villagesquare.in | astha chaudhary |Abhijit Mohanty |Gurvinder Singh |Dipti Arora

The Banni grassland of Kachchh spreads over 2,500 sq km, across 55 villages under 19 village panchayats. This transitional land between the rocky mainland and Greater Rann of Kachchh is flat and inherently saline. The high variability in annual rainfall and other geo-physical characteristics determine the ecology of the region which in turn shapes the socioeconomic and cultural features. Most of the livestock keepers in Banni belong to the Maldhari community.