Centuries ago, the Little Rann of Kutch was part of the sea. Deposition of silt brought down by sea along the shore (clubbed with some geological processes) led to the pushing back of the sea, exposing 5,000 sq. km flat terrain — now known as the Little Rann of Kutch. The Little Rann of Kutch…

Excited shouts of “Computer sir is here! Computer sir is here!” fill the air every afternoon at the Shanthi Bhavan HIV/AIDS Community Care Centre, as Shiva Kumar makes his way to class. A barefoot computer engineer, Shiva had often visited Shanthi Bhavan in the past, to resolve any hardware and software related issues they faced. Little…

Bidyabati Meher belongs to a small village called Barpali in Odisha. Located in Bargarh district, famous for hand-woven ikat sarees, the village is home to about 20,000 handloom weavers, spread across eight groups of settlements, each with a different set of caste dynamics. Through Bidya completed her graduation from Barpali College, losses in the family…

Abrar Ahmad, wearing his crisp white kurta, says that he was the first one to introduce bone carving in Mailaraihanj, a small village in the Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh. There is no one in the village who can refute his claim. He lives in a small house with a brick kiln roof which holds…

During a recent trip to rural parts of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, we met several women who gave a glimpse into their culture, lifestyles, relationships, perspectives and values. They all came from socially backward and financially weak households but they held big dreams in their eyes. Neha Neha sleeps for only two to three hours…

Twenty-four-year-old Vijaylaxmi Sharma was born in Jhorinda Bhojpura village of Phagi district, Rajasthan, when her mother was just 14 years old. Five years later, Vijaylaxmi already had two other siblings. Vijaylaxmi went on to finish her B.Ed and so did her brother Vijay (22). Her youngest brother, Mahesh, is 20 and pursuing civil engineering. While…

As a child, Rakhi was an extremely hard working and determined student. In Class 5, Rakhi was made the vice president of her class. This was her first chance at leading others. She was no longer responsible for just herself but for the entire class now, and she embraced this mantle with ease. When she…

Until 2011, Dabri village on the outskirts of Birni, one of the 13 community development blocks of Giridih district in Jharkhand state, suffered from intermittent and often non-functional Internet connectivity. It was served by only one telecom provider, which was slow to respond to issues that arose in the network. To overcome this problem, DEF’s…

An MBA dropout, Rahul Karanpuriya is on a 52-week-long journey across India to discover 52 innovators and individuals who are making a difference by choosing alternative careers that benefit the planet. Rahul Karanpuriya is a man on a mission; a mission to meet, spend time with and learn from 52 innovators and individuals who have…

A father-daughter duo, Mahesh Chandra Bora and Nisha Bora, are running a successful enterprise in Assam to rebuild the bond between man and animal – using poop. Rahul Karanpuriya explores further. Assam has 80 % of the world’s one-horned rhinos, but unfortunately, the number of rhinos is dropping drastically. While climate change and rampant deforestation…

Women of the Sahariya tribe in Rajasthan are making a mark for themselves and, in the process, enabling access to a better livelihood for others in their community. In Hindu mythology, it is believed that Lord Brahma, while carving out the universe, reserved the central space for the Sahariya Tribe. In the rush and greed…

Every morning at 7 am about 40,000-60,000 people in and around the village of Tilonia in Ajmer district of Rajasthan turn on their radio transistors and tune into 90.4 FM to listen to Norat Mal and Aarti Devi’s broadcast. Tilonia is a small village, with a population of about 7,500, which is located north east…

The women of Tilonia are in love. And this love is for their newly acquired iPads. Strolling around the campus of Barefoot College in Tilonia village of Ajmer district in Rajasthan, you’ll come across several women walking with iPads in their hand. And if there is any kind of celebration or event on campus, you’ll…

Last month, I was in Alwar district of Rajasthan (Alwar is about 160 kilometres from Delhi, and is also one of the NCR towns), accompanying two foreign nationals who’re shooting for a film in India to document how lives are changing in this country due to digital literacy. While the film-makers were busy shooting in…

Twenty-seven-year-old Mohd Shahdab Ansari studied till Class X before he took up the family tradition of weaving in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh. There wasn’t a lot of money to be made in weaving, but he persevered, driven by the knowledge that few had the talent to do what he did. Week after week, he wove saree after saree, giving them…

Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) aims to connect unreached and underserved communities of India in an effort to bring them out of digital darkness and empower them with information access through last mile connectivity, digital literacy and digital interventions. With the motto to ‘Inform, Communicate and Empower,’ DEF finds sustainable ICT solutions to overcome information poverty in remote and rural…

Muzaffar Ansari, more popularly known as Kalle Bhai, is a man of many stories and mysteries. A Class 6 dropout, Kalle Bhai pursued his passion for history and heritage to become a tourist guide, an explorer and a man who can speak and write in six different languages. Muzaffar Ansari knows every nook and corner…