Society, Culture, Religion and History

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October 8, 2023 While the current push for legal personhood for rivers is facing obstacles and is stalled, it holds potential as a viable long-term strategy for the preservation of India's rivers
River quality deteriorates as demand for hydropower to support economic growth continues to expand. (Image: Yogendra Singh Negi, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)
June 16, 2023 Majuli serves as a symbol of both the delicate balance between human activity and the environment and the tenacity of its residents
Addressing various aspects of women's lives to enhance their social, economic, and political status (Image: Rebuild India Fund)
January 13, 2022 The water structures constructed during the Gond period continue to survive the test of time and provide evidence of the water wisdom of our ancestors.
Kundeshwar lake, Kundam in Jabalpur (Image Source: K G Vyas)
January 2, 2021 Lack of community ownership and local governance are spelling doom for the once royal and resilient traditional water harvesting structures of Rajasthan.
Toorji Ka Jhalara, Jodhpur (Image Source: Rituja Mitra)
December 7, 2020 The new farm related bills will spell doom for women workers who form the bulk of small and marginal sections of Indian agriculture, warns Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAKAAM).
Farm women, overworked and underpaid (Image Source: India Water Portal)
December 11, 2019 Dry toilets have long been hailed as a sustainable solution to the sanitation and waste management crisis facing India today, but have been overshadowed by more modern toilet designs.
A traditional dry toilet. Image: India Science Wire
Photoessay: Water insecurity among hill tribes of Tripura
A tale of sacred springs and broken promises Posted on 06 Nov, 2023 01:12 PM

For the indigenous communities of Tripura, officially recognised as 'tribes,' 'tribal communities,' or 'Scheduled Tribes' under Article 342 of the Indian Constitution, and some specific groups like the Reang tribe classified as 'Primitive Vulnerable Tribal Groups' (PVTG), water holds sacred and spiritual significance.

Hill tribe women persistently stage road blockades for the third time, demanding access to clean drinking water, while the promises made to them remain unfulfilled. (Image: Thomas Malsom)
India's rivers: From conservation movements to legal personhood
While the current push for legal personhood for rivers is facing obstacles and is stalled, it holds potential as a viable long-term strategy for the preservation of India's rivers Posted on 08 Oct, 2023 12:31 PM

The Ganges and Narmada rivers, in particular, have been severely degraded as a result of India's reliance on dams for irrigation and hydropower. Despite decades of significant environmental movements opposed to dams, they largely failed because they couldn't stop the work already in progress.

River quality deteriorates as demand for hydropower to support economic growth continues to expand. (Image: Yogendra Singh Negi, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)
How internal migration can work more productively for fishers
New research from University of East Anglia, UK highlights the criticality of women’s contributions, both direct and through their social reproductive and networking activities, in achieving wellbeing and sustainability outcomes
Posted on 27 Sep, 2023 05:25 PM

Small-scale fishers in India are increasingly forced to migrate for their livelihoods, but new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) finds this can have positive impacts not always seen when labourers have to move for work.

Family networks improve outcomes for internal migration of small-scale fishers in India (Image: PxFuel)
Majuli Island: A tapestry of resilience and environmental harmony
Majuli serves as a symbol of both the delicate balance between human activity and the environment and the tenacity of its residents Posted on 16 Jun, 2023 06:34 PM

The enchanting island of Majuli, nestled in the Brahmaputra River in Assam, India, is not only a haven of natural beauty and cultural heritage but also a place where culture and history intertwines with environmental concerns.

Addressing various aspects of women's lives to enhance their social, economic, and political status (Image: Rebuild India Fund)
Supporting social businesses from rural India
IIMB’s NSRCEL and Yunus Social Business Fund join hands for social business financing Posted on 11 Nov, 2022 09:03 AM

NSRCEL- the innovation and entrepreneurship hub of IIM Bangalore, has signed an MoU with Yunus Social Business Fund Bengaluru (YSBFB), the pioneers in social business financing and scaling.

YSB’s mission is to promote social business as a sustainable alternative to long-term aid, bridging the gap between business and philanthropy (Image: YSB website)
Promoting the use of Bheel language in emerging social media spaces
Languages of indigenous people have faced government neglect Posted on 30 Aug, 2022 08:04 PM

The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed the period between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, to “draw global attention to the critical situation of many indigenous languages and t

The studio of 'Bheel Voice' has been built in the traditional architectural style of the Bhil Adivasis (Image: Khedut Mazdoor Chetna Sangath)
Access to resources eludes tribals
Water access in tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh: Challenges and lessons Posted on 18 Feb, 2022 11:02 AM

Madhya Pradesh has the largest tribal population of the country, and 21% of its population is comprised of Scheduled Tribes (STs) as per Census 2011. The state has 46 recognised Scheduled Tribes, spread across the 52 districts in the state. Of this, three are Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG).

Poor implementation of forest rights act hurts tribals (Image: Citizens for Justice and Peace)
Grassroots implementation of Halma
Experiences of a Jhabua based NGO Posted on 15 Feb, 2022 08:37 PM

Jhabua, a tribal-dominated district with more than 85 percent population belonging to Scheduled Tribe (ST), is an agrarian district. Water security is, thus, a crucial element for its agriculture-based livelihood economy.

Tribals protect a community sacred grove (Image: Manish Vaidya, Hindi Water Portal)
Revival of a tribal practice for water resource development
Collective action for water resource development through Halma Posted on 15 Feb, 2022 09:00 AM

There are over 705 ethnic groups, which are recognized as Scheduled Tribes in India (International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, 2020). These groups have their own unique Gods, beliefs, rituals, practices, and social systems.

The tightly knit tribal society also advocates community action for solving issues (Image: AKRSP)
Water management in the times of Gonds of Central India
The water structures constructed during the Gond period continue to survive the test of time and provide evidence of the water wisdom of our ancestors. Posted on 13 Jan, 2022 03:07 PM

The Gonds, ruled Central India for nearly 350 years since the mid-fourteenth century,. The principal states of the Gonds were Garha-Mandla, Devgarh, Kherla and Chanda. The Garha-Mandla dynasty is best known in history.

Kundeshwar lake, Kundam in Jabalpur (Image Source: K G Vyas)
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