Society, Culture, Religion and History

Please provide us some background on the hydrogeology of Maharashtra and its special features, which make it stand out as compared to the other parts of the country.

One of the stated Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations is to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation and to halve the proportion of population left without the same by 2015.

Research scholarships for ‘Promoting Young Researchers in South Asia for Grounded Gender-Agriculture Research’ is now opened for applications from Bangladesh, India and Nepal. The scholarship is funded by the Consortium Group of International Agriculture Research (CGIAR) Water, Land and Ecosystems in partnership with SaciWATERs.

Chhatrapati Shivaji was the brave warrior king whose name is still synonymous with Maharashtra. A military genius par excellence, he launched guerrilla warfare (ambushes, surprise raids, and hit & run tactics) against the numerically superior but inert, traditional Mughal forces.

Western Rajasthan is dotted by thousands of ponds, many of which are architectural wonders. Among these, Gadsisar (also called Gadisar) stands out. Besides its unparalleled expanse and architecture, the pond narrates tales of sacrifice, dedication and ingenuity but more importantly, it upholds water as being superior to any class and caste divide.

How did your interest in filming water stories come about? Is there any particular issue on water that has interested you? What has guided your selection?

Vibrant colourful clothes, spicy Punjabi food, a cacophany of sounds from the streets and then, serenity inside the Harmandir Sahib complex. Amritsar, a city of contrasts, and one that tests the senses constantly, is home to the holiest shrine of the Sikhs popularly known as the Golden Temple.

Bihar is working hard to achieve total sanitation. Sanjay Kumar Sinha, of  the Public Health Engineerng Department spoke about Bihar's efforts in this direction during a conference on the Right to Sanitation.

Women in bright, colourful clothes carrying pots on their heads -- this is how popular media often depicts the women of rural Rajasthan. This is what I expected to see in the Bakhasar region of Barmer district, which borders the famous salt desert, the Rann of Kutch. The groundwater is often saline and rainfall does not exceed 250 mm.

The story of the Falgu is one of greed. Unlike most other rivers, the Falgu is not just a victim of greed, but also an oppressor -- she oppressed none other than Sita herself as she flowed through Gaya in Bihar.

The story