-
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.
-
Jan 18, 2025 | 
villagesquare.in | Kiranjit Kaur Jhunir |AMIR MALIK |Mamali Sahoo |Arushi Mishra
January 14 is an important date for the townsfolk of Sri Muktsar Sahib, for it was on this day that 40 brave “muktas” lost their lives while fighting the Mughals in 1705. People within the town come together to commemorate this day while remembering the sacrifice of the heroes. Maghi, as the day is called, is special for the Sikh community. It falls on the day after Lohri, when people go to the historical gurdwaras in Muktsar to offer their respect to the gurus.
-
Oct 30, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Devashish Biswal |Kiranjit Kaur Jhunir
To achieve the sustainable development goals, it is essential to have a community that is happy and healthy. This is also true for rural India, a sector governed by 2,55,000 panchayats that look after six lakh villages accounting for 68 percent of India’s population. The panchayat raj (local self-government) institutions thus play a pivotal role in ensuring that the developmental goals, including health, are met in the long term.
-
Oct 4, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Sudip Maiti |Kiranjit Kaur Jhunir
The month of October is associated with festivities all over the country, with occasions like Navratri, Durga Puja and Dussehra marked on the calendar. However India being a land that takes its festivities seriously, there are a host of other festivals that bring the countryside alive at this time of year. From harvest festivals to fairs and processions, these rural festivals showcase the rich heritage of village communities in India.
-
Oct 4, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Kiranjit Kaur Jhunir |Krupa Gandhi
Whether you live in a metropolitan city or a village, you are sure to hear the calls of hawkers who sell anything from vegetables to glass bangles. Vegetable hawkers sell fruits, vegetables and greens from an open pushcart. Since the wares are exposed to natural elements, the quality of the produce reduces by the hour, impacting the hawkers’ income. But a simple innovative cooling method can help them keep the fruits and vegetables fresh for up to three days, preventing loss of income.
-
Oct 3, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Sudip Maiti |Kiranjit Kaur Jhunir
When Howrah Jela Jautha Paribesh Mancha began its mission in 2017, it started with just a few dedicated environmentalists in the Howrah district, nestled beside the Ganges River and just outside Kolkata. Despite being a non-forest area, Howrah boasts remarkable biodiversity, thanks to its river-laden landscape, which includes the Ganges to the south and the Damodar River in the north. Once a part of the lower Gangetic delta, Howrah’s wetlands are home to a rich array of wildlife.
-
Oct 3, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Kiranjit Kaur Jhunir |Krupa Gandhi
In a quiet but powerful act of defiance against entrenched patriarchy, the village of Manak Khana in Punjab’s Bathinda district is making history. Led by one of Punjab’s youngest sarpanches, the village panchayat has started an initiative to honour its women by installing nameplates on every house— about 90 in total — in the name of the eldest woman in the family.
-
Oct 2, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Kiranjit Kaur Jhunir |Krupa Gandhi |Worngachan Shatsang
In a world drowning in waste, there are those rare people who look beyond the surface, seeing potential where others see only garbage, by transforming waste into art. Chandigarh’s famed Rock Garden stands as a symbol of this transformative spirit — taking the refuse of a city and turning it into something beautiful, inspiring and lasting. But while the Rock Garden, built by artist Nek Chand, remains a landmark, it is not the only example of reimagining waste into art.
-
Sep 29, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Kiranjit Kaur Jhunir |Worngachan Shatsang |Ramesh Kumar
Their lives were drastically altered by road accidents that left them with severe spinal cord injuries. But Anjali Thakur and Vidya Kumari overcame their physical limitations and rose to international acclaim as para-athletes. Vidya is also India’s first Swiggy delivery girl on a wheelchair, a role that symbolises her relentless determination to break barriers.
-
Sep 20, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Unnati Sharma |Kiranjit Kaur Jhunir |Suhail Bhat
In the wool-producing regions, such as Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, people have traditionally been using a manual charkha to make yarn from sheep wool. The process has got easier and more efficient now, with the addition of a solar-powered motor and technological innovations. The traditional charkha, which was earlier operated in a strenuous manner, has been transformed for ease of use and better quality yarn.
