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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.
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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.
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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.
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Oct 1, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Krupa Gandhi |Mamali Sahoo |Biswabijayini Mohanty |Kartik Chandra Prusty
Mental health is a major concern worldwide. Globally, one in eight people lives with mental health conditions. An epidemiological study by World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed a substantial disparity in care availability: for every 1,00,000 people, global availability of mental health practitioners is just nine; in low-income nations it’s less than one. India is not far behind.
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Jan 8, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Unnati Sharma |Pallavi Srivastava |Krupa Gandhi
It is wedding season, and the day starts as early as 4 am for Mata Prasad of Khaneta village in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh. Prasad is not getting married, and nor is anyone in his family getting married. Yet, as a naai – called barber in English – he would be kept extremely busy the entire wedding season. Apart from grooming the groom and cutting the hair of baraatis (invitee from the groom’s side), he is required to play a very important role in weddings in this region.
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Jan 5, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Pallavi Srivastava |Krupa Gandhi |Gouri Agtey Athale
Pushpan Pradhan lives up to his name in more ways than one. Like the fragrance of a flower, his voice wafts softly through the air as he brings to the fore social issues through his melodies. And like the sweet-scented petals, the singer has blossomed through thorns and rough winds. Pradhan is a people’s performer, and his unassuming demeanour stands out as he steps down from the stage to sing amid the audience, prompting them to complete the lines.
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Jan 5, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Krupa Gandhi |Gouri Agtey Athale |Apta Ramesh
With sand stretching for miles and with limited rainfall, people living in the Thar Desert have developed several methods of collecting and storing rainwater for household and agricultural use and for their livestock. Naadi or pond is one such system that has helped the desert communities tackle water shortage. Every village has its own ponds, which are considered the most widespread and common source of water supply in the desert.
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Dec 18, 2023 | 
villagesquare.in | Nasir Yousufi |Krupa Gandhi
Sports films are generally sentimental, but evacuated of real sentiments, and tend to follow the clichéd template – familiar tales of the heroic underdog player, hard-charging coach or team of misfits that somehow becomes a winner. However, Manipuri filmmaker Meena Longjam’s film “Andro Dreams” brings freshness to this genre.
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Dec 18, 2023 | 
villagesquare.in | Nasir Yousufi |Krupa Gandhi |Shreekant Sahoo
Under the winter sun’s waning warmth, the purple hue of saffron fields in Pampore of Jammu and Kashmir reflect a contrasting picture of anticipation and anxiety. Pampore is the primary hub for saffron cultivation in the region. As autumn concludes, families engage in a race against time to harvest the crocus flowers, which bloom for just a fortnight annually. But this season’s prospects bear a disheartening truth for farmers like 62-year-old Mohammad Ismail Bhat.
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Aug 20, 2023 | 
villagesquare.in | Idrees Bukhtiyar |Vicky Roy |Krupa Gandhi
Aiyaz Farooq, 36, of Bagna Salamabad village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district has been fighting for the last few years to stop the gypsum mining going on in his area. This mountainous region is rich in gypsum reserves. Bagna Salamabad, Farooq’s village that’s home to over 1,000 households, has 12 mines in its vicinity. The mines are adversely affecting the people in nearby villages, causing a range of health problems related to air and noise pollution.
