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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.
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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.
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Dec 9, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Saswatik Tripathy |Kartik Chandra Prusty |Novita Singh |Atiqur Rahman
The village of Jaladihi in Odisha’s Keonjhar district, is nestled in the heart of a lush forest, its undulating topography a testament to nature’s artistry. For generations, the people of this remote hamlet lived in harmony with their surroundings, till modernisation shattered its idyllic existence. Rain-fed agriculture and forest produce were the lifeblood of Jaladihi, sustaining its inhabitants through countless seasons.
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May 20, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Anisha Roy |Saswatik Tripathy |Kartik Chandra Prusty
Bees are indispensable to the ecosystem due to their role as primary pollinators. In recent years, bee populations across the world have been declining at an alarming rate. This declining bee population poses a severe threat to the health of ecosystems and the global food supply, necessitating urgent measures. A decline in bee population can severely impact food security since approximately 75 percent of the world’s food crops depend on pollination.
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May 20, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Anisha Roy |Saswatik Tripathy |Kartik Chandra Prusty
Honey is often called liquid gold for its rich sweetness and antibacterial properties. It never spoils and it is speculated that it has numerous health benefits such as increasing adiponectin levels, a hormone that reduces inflammation and improves blood sugar regulation. Due to its widespread use as an alternative to sugar, honey is used in several Indian dishes, desserts and drinks. Village Square brings to you 5 must-try recipes made using honey to enjoy during the summer.
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May 20, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Saswatik Tripathy |Kartik Chandra Prusty
The crackle of flames and the billowing smoke are all too familiar sights during the dry season in many parts of India. Forest fires, often sparked by human activity, continue to ravage precious ecosystems, threatening both wildlife and local livelihoods. However, amid this grim reality, there is a glimmer of hope – stories of communities coming together to safeguard the forests they depend on.
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Jan 25, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Akila Muthukumar |Pallavi Srivastava |Saswatik Tripathy |Kartik Chandra Prusty
I wake up at 7am, to the repeated calls for Akila akka (sister). I quickly untuck my mosquito net from under the edges of my mattress, and climb down the rungs of my bunk bed. I’m at Sristi Village, a non-profit organisation located in Konamangalam, a small village in Tamil Nadu. I go outside to greet the energetic youth who live at Sristi – the ones that called out my name to wake me up. Sristi is home to over 50 youth, aged 18 to 35 years. All of them have some kind of intellectual disability.
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Jan 24, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Pallavi Srivastava |Saswatik Tripathy |Kartik Chandra Prusty |Suhail Bhat
Deoashish Mothey has been associated with children’s education for as long as he can remember. His parents taught in a primary school at Chamong Tea Garden in Darjeeling district of West Bengal, and comprised the entire faculty that the government-run institution had. Even as a 10-year-old child, Mothey had to step into their role in times of emergency, ‘teaching’ students older than him and maintaining discipline in the school. That’s when he discovered the power of music as an educational tool.
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Jan 24, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Saswatik Tripathy |Kartik Chandra Prusty |Aditi Sahoo |Suhail Bhat
As a child, while crossing the narrow forest lane to reach her school, Bhagabati, a resident of Keonjhar in Odisha, used to ask her father, “Bapa! ay jungle kaharo (Father, whom does this forest belong to)?” And her father would say, “Amoro (ours)”. But deep inside, Bhagabati’s father felt that they may have to abandon the forest some day, like the neighbouring panchayat had to, when people were relocated for mining activities in their villages.
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Sep 12, 2023 | 
villagesquare.in | Gurvinder Singh |Saswatik Tripathy |Kartik Chandra Prusty |Biswabijayini Mohanty
Amit Subba from Daragaon village in Pakyong district of Sikkim has spent the past three years tending to the soil of his ambitions. The 27-year-old farmer has been nurturing a kaleidoscope of flowers – orchids, gerberas et al. His home, a mere 25km from the bustling state capital of Gangtok, is an oasis of blossoms and burgeoning dreams. Armed with determination and two greenhouses, his flower garden dances to the rhythms of his care.
