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Jan 20, 2025 | 
villagesquare.in | Arushi Mishra |Monika Marandi |Shveta Jadhav |Harshal Mankar
You probably loved the first feature of wedding gift ideas inspired by local Indian art and crafts, where we recommended art forms like Gond, Khovar, Madhubani and Phad, to name a few. India’s artistic legacy being myriad, we couldn’t recommend them all, so here’s a follow-up feature on religious paintings and home decor items that should cover your wedding gift shopping this season.
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Jan 18, 2025 | 
villagesquare.in | Harshal Mankar |Kiranjit Kaur Jhunir |Mamali Sahoo |Arushi Mishra
Over the past four-odd decades, the dense forests that once surrounded the Amaritya village gradually disappeared. The hills became barren and the groundwater table significantly dropped due to excessive water extraction. Even 800 ft-deep tube wells began to dry up. Irrigation was reduced from four to just two cycles per season as most of the rainfall occurring between July and September was lost to flash floods.
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Apr 30, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Pallavi Srivastava |Sukanya Roy |Harshal Mankar
Bharatnatyam dancer, yoga exponent, LGBTQ rights activist… Navtej Singh Johar wears many hats, each of them fitting him perfectly. His quiet demeanour in no way gives away the fact that his life has been all about breaking stereotypes. Decades ago, he plunged into uncharted waters as a Sikh man taking up an Indian classical dance practice from Tamil Nadu.
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Apr 30, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Sukanya Roy |Harshal Mankar |Rangeet Mitra
As per some records the earliest evidence of cosmetics use dates back to about 2500 BC, during the time of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Both women and men used traditional skincare to augment their appearance. This beauty remedy practice was related to the seasons, and various kinds of lepas (masks) were recommended depending on the prevailing weather conditions, while tailams (oils) and ghritas (clarified butter) were also in use.
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Apr 29, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Harshal Mankar |Mitali Banerjee Joyee |Anuradha Pati
What does an adolescent in Swarooppura village in Rajasthan do if she wants to learn to surf the internet? She asks ‘mobile baba’. What do villagers do if they want information about the government’s social welfare schemes? They ask mobile baba. Mobile baba is another villager just like them. But he chose to equip himself with skills – digital skills in particular – to help villagers get their entitlements.
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Mar 20, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Dawa Dolma |Monika Marandi |Harshal Mankar |Smriti Mukerji
Climate change is making itself apparent in the icy climes of Ladakh, where the fate of a favourite winter sport, ice hockey, now hangs in the balance. Rinks and natural frozen water bodies can no longer be relied upon to provide the ideal conditions for the sport as higher-than-usual temperatures cause these icy surfaces to develop puddles and shrink. Ice hockey isn’t just a mere source of recreation and entertainment but also a means of empowerment and social cohesion in Ladakh.
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Mar 19, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Harshal Mankar |Monika Marandi |Smriti Mukerji
Khakhunda in Mandalgarh administrative block of Rajasthan is a revenue village marked by simplicity and interconnectedness. The village, spread across 233.26 hectares, comprises 110 households as per 2011 Census, forming a close-knit community comprising Bhil, Regar, Gurjar, Daroga, Barret and Vaishav communities living together.
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Jan 3, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Priyanka Dalal |Harshal Mankar |Mohsin Mushtaq |Rabia Mushtaq
TS Eliot once said he measured out his life with coffee spoons. The same can likely be said about many members of our society. Growing up in Karnataka, which accounts for more than 70% of the coffee produced in the country, M Muniswamy would often start his days the same way: with coffee. Rooted to this coffee culture, Muniswamy ventured into uncharted territory 25 years ago to transform the barren land in his native village into a thriving coffee plantation.
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Jan 2, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Harshal Mankar |Mohsin Mushtaq |Rabia Mushtaq |HIMANSHU KUMAR
The residents of Jodhpuriya village in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan still remember the time when they grappled with water scarcity and how it impacted their agro-pastoral livelihood. But now the village is an example of the potency of community-led initiatives in revitalising water resources. With the use of technology and institutional support, the community has managed to enhance groundwater levels, alter crop patterns, increase income and thus reduce migration.
