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1 month ago | 
villagesquare.in | AMIR MALIK |Anuradha Varma |Smriti Mukerji
Strawberries are a popular favourite, whether you have them whole or blend in icecreams and shakes, or use them in baking. But if you think the little berries are solely an urban phenomenon, things are changing slowly and surely!Indian farmers are discovering the economic benefits of cultivating strawberries and other high-yield exotic crops. One such example is in the rural economic zone (REZ) of Jonha panchayat area, which falls under Angara block in Ranchi district of Jharkhand.
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Jan 22, 2025 | 
villagesquare.in | Gurvinder Singh |Smriti Mukerji |Arushi Mishra
At 26 years of age, Vikram Sagar from Coorg has taken to farming professionally. Embracing sustainable and diverse farming practices, he has embarked on redefining traditional agriculture in his native land in Coorg, Karnataka. In conversation with Village Square, Sagar talks about his journey from life in the city to agriculture, his inspirations and upcoming ventures.
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Jan 22, 2025 | 
villagesquare.in | Gurvinder Singh |Monika Marandi |Smriti Mukerji |Arushi Mishra
Rajib Kumar is witnessing the once-in-a-lifetime Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj up close. The only difference is that the 20-year-old is doing it through the lens of his cell phone’s camera. He takes FOMO breaks from the feverish frenzy of clicking pictures only to scroll through other social media handles that are covering the nuances of the colours, communion and charisma of the mela.
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Jan 21, 2025 | 
villagesquare.in | Smriti Mukerji |Monika Marandi |Arushi Mishra |Shveta Jadhav
Driving down the scenic twelve-odd kilometres from temple town Puri to its neighbouring arts village Raghurajpur, one is greeted by quaint rural scenes of children scrambling up coconut trees and old temples built on the banks of ponds. As one nears Raghurajpur, its heritage art village status, following a two-year research and documentation project by INTACH in the year 2000, becomes more apparent.
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Dec 25, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Smriti Mukerji
Driving down the dusty roads of village Mangar, located in the middle of the undulating Aravalis just outside Delhi, has a rustic appeal in December when the sun is mellow and the air crisp. But come to think of inhabiting this place in summer, and many city-dwellers would have second thoughts. Not Shakti and Ila Lumba.
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Nov 18, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Kumar Gaurav |Vicky Roy |Aatreyee Dhar |Smriti Mukerji
Call him the human pin cushion. A young entertainer named Satyam Bharti from Rajlu Mau village in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj district inserts 52 thin needles into his bare torso, hands, and legs. He doesn’t wince a bit. Then comes more torture: pouring molten wax from candles onto the very spots where the needles had punctured his dark, glistening skin. The pain is enormous and unbearable. Yet, 18-year-old Satyam doesn’t flinch.
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Nov 15, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Aatreyee Dhar |Vicky Roy |Smriti Mukerji |Pallavi Srivastava
The state of Assam received a lot of attention for the attacks on the marginalised Bengali Muslim families there, who were targeted on the pretext of encroachment and became victims of violence. One big incident was the Dholpur eviction drive that happened a mere 65 kilometres from Guwahati in September 2021.
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Nov 13, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Smriti Mukerji |Pallavi Srivastava
Most of us know the significant role that the diversity of local flora and fauna plays for the local environment. However, only a few take concrete steps to preserve and promote it. Ankush Rana is one of the latter. He is turning his four-acre ancestral land at Mangarh in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district into a botanical garden-cum-food forest that will showcase a wide variety of native plant species.
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Oct 26, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Ranu Singh |Smriti Mukerji
India’s vibrant cottage industry has a lot to offer and Diwali is the perfect opportunity for urban dwellers to explore and support it. This year you can add more joy to your festivities by choosing Deepavali products made by rural artisans and people with disabilities. From hand-crafted diyas to delectable snacks, each of these items tells a story of its own. Here are five organisations selling various goodies perfect for your festive needs this season, while working to empower communities.
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Oct 25, 2024 | 
villagesquare.in | Smriti Mukerji |Ranu Singh |Aatreyee Dhar
There are online shops. And then there is Loksutr – an initiative that works closely with artisans and knowledge keepers from indigenous communities to translate their oral traditions (poems, songs, myths, riddles, lores and rituals) into merchandise.
