Before air conditioners took over our homes India had a cooler greener solution, khus 🌿✨

From fragrant curtains sprinkled with water to refreshing sharbats made from vetiver this humble grass kept scorching summers bearable using nothing more than wind evaporation and nature’s own design

In countless traditional Indian homes khus curtains cooled rooms naturally while filling the air with an earthy calming fragrance long before “sustainable living” became a global trend ❤️

Today luxury brands celebrate vetiver as premium wellness while we slowly forget the wisdom our grandparents practiced every summer

Maybe the smartest climate solution was never modern at all Maybe it was already woven into everyday Indian life 🌿

Did your home also have khus curtains during summer? Tell us below 👇

#IndianSummer #SustainableLiving #TraditionalWisdom #EcoFriendlyLiving #DesiNostalgia #ClimateSmart #NaturalCooling #IndiaInspires #TraditionalHomes #GreenLiving #SummerHacks #IndianCulture #PositiveStories

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Delivery workers stop under flyovers to get some relief from the heat. Office-goers press themselves against the few shaded corners outside metro stations. Inside apartments, air-conditioners hum nonstop as electricity meters spin faster through the afternoon. On roads across Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Kolkata, the heat rises visibly off concrete like smoke.

Across India, scenes like this are becoming routine.

But in cities and small industrial clusters, a new generation of climate startups is beginning to treat heat as a design problem waiting to be solved.

They don’t see the heat problem as an inevitable summer discomfort.

Instead, they are building cooling systems without refrigerants, mapping invisible heat from space, and redesigning homes with terracotta, agricultural waste, and passive cooling.

A country heating faster than it can cool

In several parts of the country, temperatures now regularly cross 45°C during peak summer months, affecting millions of people. According to the India Meteorological Department, many states have recorded an increase in heatwave days over the past decade, with northwestern, central, and eastern India among the worst-affected regions.

The danger is not just limited to discomfort.

Extreme heat directly affects human health, causing dehydration, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, kidney stress, and, in severe cases, death.

Outdoor workers — such as construction labourers, delivery staff, farmers, sanitation workers, factory employees, and street vendors — remain among the most vulnerable because their livelihoods depend on long hours under direct sunlight.

In low-income neighbourhoods, tin-roof houses often trap heat well into the night, making sleep difficult and recovery from daytime exposure nearly impossible.

Yet some startups are attempting to rewrite this narrative.

Cooling without heating the planet

Conventional air-conditioners consume large amounts of electricity, leak refrigerant gases that are far more potent than carbon dioxide, and release waste heat back into already overheated streets.

For decades, this appeared unavoidable.

Then came Hyderabad-based startup Ambiator.

Founded by Jeeten Desai and Tiger Aster, the company developed a refrigerant-free cooling system designed specifically for India’s extreme summers. Their system, called the Ambiator 5TR, sits somewhere between a desert cooler and a traditional AC.

The system reportedly uses nearly 80% less electricity than conventional air-conditioners while consuming significantly less water than regular coolers. It delivers fresh, cooled air and can maintain indoor temperatures between 24°C and 28°C during harsh summers.

The founders focused especially on spaces where heat exposure directly affects productivity and health.

Mapping invisible heat from space

Some startups are approaching the heat crisis from much farther away — hundreds of kilometres above Earth.

SatLeo Labs is using thermal satellites, drones, and artificial intelligence to detect dangerous heat build-up across cities before it escalates into fires, pollution spikes, or public health emergencies.

Instead of waiting for visible signs of overheating, the company maps “invisible heat” across landfills, industrial zones, and dense urban neighbourhoods in near real time.

Using infrared thermal imaging, SatLeo’s system can reportedly identify abnormal heat patterns, methane build-up, underground landfill fires, and overheated neighbourhoods even through smoke or haze. Artificial intelligence then converts the data into simplified dashboards and alerts for city officials.

In Tumakuru, Karnataka, the startup mapped a 40-acre landfill along with city-wide heat zones. Authorities used the information to identify dangerous hotspots, target plantation drives in the hottest neighbourhoods, monitor greenhouse gas emissions, and respond faster during extreme heat conditions.

Reinventing cooling with clay and mushrooms

Apart from satellites and complex machinery, some solutions are being built from terracotta, sugarcane waste, and mushroom spores.

The Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE), through the Solar Decathlon India challenge, has encouraged students and researchers to create low-cost, energy-efficient cooling systems that work inside existing homes without depending heavily on conventional air-conditioners.

Their focus is retrofit cooling — solutions people can install in already-built homes facing extreme heat.

The ideas emerging from the programme include terracotta cooling walls, mycelium ceiling panels made from mushroom spores and sugarcane bagasse, solar-powered cooling systems, and passive cooling kits inspired by traditional Indian architecture.

One IIT Delhi team developed “Terracool,” a terracotta-based wall cooling system that reportedly reduced indoor temperatures by up to 7°C while lowering humidity. Another Bengaluru-based team created “MushCool,” biodegradable insulation panels using agricultural waste and mycelium.

Together, these experiments are pushing a larger idea into public conversation: India’s cooling future may not lie in building more powerful air-conditioners.

It lies in redesigning how homes, cities, and workplaces respond to heat itself.

These startup innovations are helping reimagine what cooling should look like in a warming world.

Sources:

‘Old Buildings, New Fixes: 10 Sustainable & Affordable Innovations to Keep Existing Homes in Urban India Cool’: by Krystelle Dsouza for The Better India, Published on 31 May 2025

‘At 45°C, This Hyderabad Startup Is Keeping Workers Cool — Without ACs or High Power Bills’: by Ekta Sati, Published on 28 April 2026

‘India Faces Intensifying Heat Crisis As Temperatures Surge Across Cities’: by Youth Ki Awaaz, Published on 7 May 2026

‘When Nights Refuse to Cool: India’s Heatwave Crisis Demands a New Climate Compact’: by Amal Chandra for Down To Earth, Published on 1 May 2026

‘This Indian Space-Tech Startup Uses AI to Warn Cities of Heat & Pollution Risks’: by Shweta Dravid for The Better India, Published on 18 February 2026

They called it wasteland, but every winter, it turned pink.

Along the edge of Navi Mumbai, where the city fades into Thane Creek, a vast wetland was being prepared for disappearance. Mangroves were cut overnight. An 80-hectare stretch was booked for luxury housing, infrastructure, and a golf course. On paper, it was called development, but on the ground, it meant the slow unravelling of a living system.

Because this land was never empty.

Each year, thousands of flamingos arrive here, joined by pelicans and kingfishers, while fish breed safely among the mangrove roots. With their arrival, the water would turn a soft, shifting pink, a life that returned without fail, season after season.

Shruti and Sunil Agarwal first noticed the changes on their morning walks. Trees that stood one day were gone the next, and the mangroves began to thin out in a way that felt sudden and deliberate.

“And we saw these people cutting the mangroves there; they were just chopping them. So, by chance, we did a small interview, we actually took a video of the whole place,” Shruti recalls.

That small recording changed the course of their lives. What followed were years of showing up at hearings, in courtrooms, and before authorities, even as they were repeatedly told that the system and the builders would not be stopped. Still, they returned each time.

The destruction did not pause easily, even as the case moved forward.

Then, in 2018, the Bombay High Court ordered that the destruction of the mangroves and wetlands must stop.

After that, the land began to breathe again. Mangroves slowly returned, and with them, the flamingos came back in great numbers, turning the creek pink each winter, as they always had.

Today, Navi Mumbai is celebrated as Flamingo City. But behind that name is the reminder that places are often saved not by power, but by those who refuse to stop noticing what is being lost.

In many homes where generations live under one roof, childhood does not unfold in isolation. It grows between crowded dining tables, evening prayers echoing through hallways, cousins running barefoot from one room to another, and grandparents who somehow know exactly when a child needs comfort.

Long before ‘community living’ became a modern idea, many families were already practising it in the most ordinary way possible, by living together.

For children, this kind of upbringing moulds something more than routine. It impacts how they learn affection, responsibility, patience, and belonging.

Where no one ever really eats alone

In a shared household, meals are seldom silent. Somebody wants more rice, somebody is recounting a story from work, and somebody else is reminding the youngest child to sit properly at the table.

For a child growing up in this environment, togetherness becomes instinctive.

There is comfort in knowing that home will always have people waiting inside it. A bad day at school rarely goes unnoticed. Someone asks questions. Someone offers fruit cut into small pieces. Someone listens attentively.

Often, children raised this way grow up feeling emotionally anchored because care does not come from one person alone. It comes from many directions at once.

The grandparents who become a child’s first teachers

One of the gentlest parts of growing up in such homes is the bond between grandparents and grandchildren.

Grandparents become storytellers, caretakers, protectors, and comforting companions all at once. Their presence fills childhood with small rituals that stay long after the years pass, like oiling hair on Sunday mornings, waiting at the gate after school, slipping sweets into tiny hands before dinner.

Without turning it into a lesson, they pass down memories, language, traditions, and family history through everyday conversation.

Children raised around older generations also learn an early sense of empathy and patience. They grow up understanding that care is not rushed.

Cousins who feel more like siblings

Perhaps the loudest memories from such childhoods come from cousins.

Shared bedrooms during holidays, endless games that stretched into late evenings, whispered conversations after lights were switched off, these moments become the emotional centre of growing up.

There is a certain confidence children develop when they are constantly surrounded by others their age. They learn friendship inside the home itself.

Disagreements happen just as often as laughter. But so does forgiveness. By the next morning, everyone is back together again.

Learning responsibility without realising it

In homes filled with people, responsibilities naturally spread out. Older children help younger ones with homework. Someone is asked to buy groceries. Someone helps set plates before dinner.

Children are mostly not treated separately from family life. They participate in it from an early age. Over time, this creates a strong awareness of collective responsibility. There is an understanding that a home functions because everybody contributes in small ways.

When togetherness feels heavy

Of course, life in a shared household is not always comforting.

Privacy can feel limited. Opinions arrive from every direction. Choices that might remain personal in smaller homes often become family discussions.

Children notice tensions as much as warmth. They learn that relationships are not always simple, especially when many personalities share the same space.

However, even these challenges teach something valuable, including how to coexist, how to adjust, and how to remain connected despite differences.

The memories that stay long after childhood ends

Years later, when many move into nuclear homes and busier lives, what they mostly miss are not grand celebrations, but ordinary moments.

The sound of pressure cookers in the morning. Grandparents are watching television too loudly. Cousins sleeping in rows on the floor during summer holidays. The comfort of returning home to a house that always felt full.

Childhood in a shared household may not have offered much silence or solitude, but it offered something else that feels rare today, which is the feeling of always having people around who belonged to you, and to whom you belonged too. And that is what stays longest of all.

A cool breeze blows over Velim, one of the most popular villages in Salcete, Goa. It carries with it a salty whiff, a welcome break from the scorching heat that Goa is forced to brave as summers take over. 

For the scores of tourists who flock to the coastal state every year, the heat is no deterrent. Instead, they look forward to days filled with palm trees, lunches and dinners dotted with an array of tropical juices, and platters of the most gorgeous seafood. 

Velim, after all, has always had a track record of drawing people from around the world with its seafood restaurants, water sports and white-washed churches. It is one of the few places in Goa that has retained its rural exquisiteness, while also allowing for modern cafes and activities, giving tourists a chance to get the best of both worlds.  

As a testament to this, is a quaint spot on a hill, a one-and-a-half hour drive from Panjim, where you can experience this rural magic for yourself. 

The brainchild of Chef Avinash Martins, C’est L’avi lives up to its name of being a table in the hills. A table set for 12 to be precise. And as anyone who has been fortunate to be Avinash’s guest will tell you, the experience is unforgettable. 

 

Before you settle down in your seat, breathe in the ambience, is what the chef encourages. This is no ordinary feast. It is one in the lap of nature itself. And it is incomplete without a story narrated by Chef Martins himself. 

While guests take in the surroundings, with its clay pots, and original wood fires, the babble of the stream and the chirp of a lone bird, he narrates how it all began.   

 

‘I called this place home.’

As the story goes, it was a long winding road through the top-notch kitchens of India that led Avinash to the hills of Goa. The journey commenced in 2002, when Avinash completed his post-graduate culinary studies, following which he worked with the Oberoi Group of Hotels for the next three years. 

Intent on experimenting with different cuisines and styles, he landed on foreign shores, the likes of Europe and America. And so, in 2013 when he returned to his hometown Goa, he felt he’d not only seen the world, but now also knew the change he wanted to be. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by By @Chefavinashmartins (@tableinthehills)

 

“I had gained an understanding of how different cuisines worked, and launched a boutique restaurant in Cavatine, North Goa. I wanted to cook for people who were looking for good food, but did not want to go to five-star restaurants. They were my target audience.” From 2013 to 2020, Avinash laid his focus on flavours, perfecting these with every dish. But then the pandemic happened and the restaurant was forced to shut down for six months.  

“We could have continued doing deliveries, but I never believed in putting food into a container and eating it later. Food is all about energy and experiences. So while the restaurant remained shut, I used the time to explore Goa.”

Avinash says the months he spent travelling through the forests, tribal villages and artisan clusters of Goa were possibly the best and most eye opening. “After experiencing all that I had through the places I had visited, it seemed almost a  crime not to showcase this to tourists who often were under the impression that Goa was all about the historical places and casinos.” 

 

‘I wanted to give tourists a real piece of Goa.’

The question was where to start. 

Luckily, the answer had been lying for years on a 250-acre ancestral property in Velim, a space that Avinash recounts as “the happiest summer vacation spot”. Filled with cashew plantations, and coconut trees alike, the land was a place little Avinash made memories on ever since he was four. 

“I would wait for the summers to visit my grandmother and we would roam around the land, watching the coconut pluckers prepare to mount the trees, and gasping in delight as the coconuts fell. But when granny passed away, the land lay forgotten,” he shares. 

“With time the coconut climbers too diminished in numbers,” says Avinash, adding that the reason was their kids not wanting to continue this business. So, gazing at this land in all its forgotten beauty got him wondering what if its full potential could be realised. 

Today, C’est L’avi is a product of the land. It saw numerous guests flock to it during the pandemic in particular, as it was the perfect draw for a socially distanced lunch.  

A meal for the Gods 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by By @Chefavinashmartins (@tableinthehills)

 

Everything prepared at C’est L’avi is from the farms nearby, within a 5 km radius, says Avinash, adding that he is in touch with agrarians and farmers from the neighbouring villages for this. The seven-course meal is all about representing traditional dishes in a modern approach. 

“For instance, our classic smoked mackerels was a fisherman recipe that people had stopped making in Goa. To give them a taste as well as an experience, we let guests watch the smoking of the mackerels in the field and serve it with crisp poi (bread).”

C’est L’avi is a seasonal ingredients-driven project, managed by Avinash and 60 farmers from Velim. Whenever you decide to eat here, you will be surprised by different dishes, each prepared with seasonal produce. 

However, Avinash says you’d need to book 48 hours prior to the day you’re coming for lunch, as the meals are slow cooked, and notice is needed. 

 

“For instance, the slow duck breast sits in brine for 12 hours before it is smoked overnight, and cooked the next day. The sauces, gravies and condiments for the dish are ground by hand using the traditional mortar and pestle and so it takes us time to get the menu going.”

Priced at Rs 5,000 per head, the dining experience is inclusive of drinks including indigenous drinks like urak, feni, nira, toddy and more. The three-hour experience begins at noon, way in advance of the lunch, as Avinash wants his guests to look around the place, even cook a starter by themselves or simply immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the place. 

One of the guests who lunched here last year, says the experience was incredible. 

“It was so unique, delicious and inspiring. Our whole family loved it and thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Chef Avinash shared his love for Goa and his talent with us through lunch!”

 

Today, as he looks back on the path leading up to here, Avinash says though it was a passion project, it was filled with a series of sustainable decisions. 

“When I set up this place, I did not trim a single leaf. The property is huge and the idea has always been to blend in the system and work with the environment. Even the water we serve is fresh spring water and we have a woodfire oven made from the wood that falls off and rots, while coconut husks are used to smoke the fish.” 

To create this harmonious ecosystem, Avinash avoided barricades of any kind on the land. “The place is home to monkeys, peacocks, porcupines, lizards and leopards. I did not want to create zones that separate animals from nature. I ensure whatever grows is enough for everyone. I do not want to cage it up.” 

27 years ago a little girl entered Shishir Sharma’s home as the daughter of their househelp

Today Arpita is the heartbeat of the family, loved cherished and treated as their own daughter and the eldest grandchild of the house ❤️

From school runs to family holidays love slowly erased every label society tried to attach Because family is not always defined by blood Sometimes it is built through care trust shared memories and the people who choose to stand beside you every single day ✨

In a world quick to divide stories like these remind us that humanity kindness and unconditional love still exist quietly transforming lives without expecting anything in return ❤️

#Humanity #InspiringStories #FamilyLove #PositiveIndia #KindnessMatters #IndiaInspires #HumanConnection #LoveBeyondBlood #HeartwarmingStories #Compassion #PositiveStories #Family #Inclusion

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Mocked for being different and rejected for living her truth Taira Bhattacharjee spent years searching for acceptance ❤️

But when she finally opened up to Bikram he chose love over fear standing beside her through every battle every judgement and every painful moment of transition

Together their journey is giving hope to countless transgender people reminding the world that real love does not demand silence shame or hiding who you are ✨

Because the strongest relationships are not built on perfection They are built on acceptance respect and the courage to stand beside someone when the world refuses to understand them

And sometimes simply being loved as your true self can change everything ❤️

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There is a kind of loneliness that outlasts death. In India, thousands of people die each year in bus stands, on railway tracks, outside temples and hospitals — their bodies unclaimed, their names unknown, their passing unremarked. 

For them, the end is not just the loss of life, but the loss of any last rite of belonging.

P Karthik, a constable posted at Chengalpattu Town Police Station in Tamil Nadu, has made it his mission to change that — one cremation at a time.

Over the past three years, Karthik has personally overseen the last rites of more than 70 unidentified or unclaimed bodies. He garlands them, arranges proper rituals and stands in as family — because, in that moment, he is the only family they have.

"I see them as my own," he said simply. "Everyone deserves a respectful farewell."

A first encounter that never left him

It began with an elderly woman found lying outside a church in Chengalpet, Chennai. Karthik recognised her — she had survived by begging in the area, a familiar, invisible face on a familiar street. 

With no one to claim her, he took the body to the mortuary and spent nearly three months trying to trace her relatives. When all efforts failed and the body began to decompose, Karthik performed her last rites himself.

"That moment stayed with me," he recalls.

It was not a dramatic revelation. There was no announcement, no formal initiative. He simply could not walk away from the idea that a person's life — however marginal or forgotten — deserved a dignified end.

The scale of the problem

Karthik's compassion exists against a sobering backdrop. Across India, the scale of unclaimed deaths is staggering. Tamil Nadu alone recorded over 5,000 unidentified bodies in a single year, placing it among the states with the highest such numbers in the country. 

In Delhi, data shows that an average of five to eight unidentified bodies were found every single day between 2018 and 2021 — and only a fraction were ever identified.

Most of these are migrants, the homeless, accident victims, or elderly individuals who outlived their families and social ties. They die in railway stations, on roadsides, outside places of worship. 

The law provides a framework — bodies unclaimed for 72 hours are to be disposed of by police, coordinating with municipal authorities — but the procedure is often clinical, rushed, and devoid of ritual.

What Karthik does is different. He treats each body not as a case file to be closed, but as a person deserving of care.

The work behind the farewell

After signing off for the day, Karthik continues working. He circulates photographs of unidentified bodies across police stations, cross-references records of missing persons, and follows every lead he can find. 

He is, in these off-duty hours, a one-man identification unit — driven not by protocol but by conscience.

Most of the bodies he encounters are recovered from bus stands, railway tracks, and accident sites. When his searches yield nothing — no family, no name, no one to claim the person — he steps in without hesitation. 

He ensures the body is garlanded, that the appropriate rituals are observed, and that the person is not consigned to anonymity without at least one human witness to their passing.

He is not alone in this spirit. Across Tamil Nadu, there are others quietly doing similar work. In Mettupalayam, constable M Amina has coordinated the cremation of over 100 unclaimed bodies over five years, working with volunteers and NGOs, splitting the costs with colleagues. 

These are not outliers — they are a quiet tradition of conscience within a system that rarely makes space for it.

A badge worn differently

The uniform Karthik wears is the same one that carries, in the public imagination, connotations of authority and distance. What he has done is wear it differently — as a symbol of responsibility to those who no longer have any power at all.

India's Supreme Court has held that the right to dignity extends to the deceased, affirming the state's duty to ensure respectful burial or cremation for even the unclaimed and homeless. 

Karthik, with or without knowing the legal language, lives by that principle every time he lights a funeral pyre for a stranger.

He does not seek recognition. He asks only that the forgotten be allowed to leave the world as they deserved to live in it — with someone who cares.

In a country where so many fall through every crack imaginable, P Karthik stands at the very last one — and refuses to let anyone fall through it alone.

Sources:

'Chennai cop's quiet mission: giving the unclaimed a dignified farewell': by unnamed author for The Times of India, published 2026

'Delhi recorded an average of 5–8 unidentified bodies found daily between 2018 and 2021': by unnamed author for The Print, published 20 August 2022

'India's Supreme Court affirmed that the right to dignity extends to the deceased, recognising the state's duty to ensure respectful cremation or burial': by Saurav C et al., published in PMC/National Institutes of Health

'Constable M Amina of Mettupalayam coordinated the cremation of over 100 unclaimed bodies over five years': by The Hans India, published 3 August 2022

Originally reported and written in March 2023, this story has been republished as part of our archival content.

You may be familiar with the most popular story of the origin of tea — that it was discovered accidentally when the father of medicine, Shen Nong, was picking leaves in the forest for one of his experiments. As a pot of water boiled, a few leaves fell into it, and the drink was magical, as Shen discovered. 

While the Chinese have long since associated tea with its medicinal benefits, the beverage is celebrated in cultures around the world for its simplicity. In India, a cup of chai has many roles — a welcome drink for guests, a mid-day beverage, and, when brewed with ginger and spices, a remedy for a nasty cold. In many ways, it has also been the tie that binds Indian families together. 

While few things bring joy like good old ghar ki chai, there’s no denying that the seemingly simple beverage has many avatars. We found eight brands that not only champion the diversity and nuances of the beverage, but also show us how magic brews in the most unlikely circumstances.  

1. Dorje Teas 

 

Run by 23-year-old Sparsh Agarwal, the artisanal tea comes from the 150-year-old Selim Hill Tea Garden spread across a vast 973 acres. When COVID-19 brought a sudden halt to business, Sparsh and his friends revived his family’s tea garden through a unique subscription model — bringing an entire year’s worth of seasonal flavours of Darjeeling tea to your doorstep. 

Dorje Teas, they decided, would be a brand that would focus on bridging the gaps in the Darjeeling tea industry, one of which was the problem of low sales of monsoon and autumn flushes of tea. 

These flushes often did not find buyers, but Dorje Teas ensures that through the subscription model, customers can avail of all four flushes of teas at premium quality and affordable rates. 

Buy here.

2. Kolkata Chai Co 

 

In an interview with The Better India, one of the brothers behind the startup reminisces how through the growing up years they’d fallen in love with Kolkata, their hometown. 

“We often joked about how the streetwallahs of Kolkata possessed almost magical skills. We were almost certain that these vendors had special sauces and spices that they told no one about,” was what Ani Sanyal grew up thinking. 

So when they moved across the world to Massachusetts, they dearly missed all things Kolkata, especially the chai. This, Ayan says, was because “authentic Indian tea was difficult to find on the streets of America, with cafes there being known for serving westernised versions.” 

So, the brothers decided to give the United States a taste of chai with their brand the Kolkata Chai Co, which ensures “culture and traditions are represented accurately and honestly” through its blends of masala chai, premixes and more. 

3. Gardner Street Tea

Rashi Sanghvi discovered she was in love with chai during a trip to Turkey. 

While she harboured a desire to start a brand, she figured there were gaps to address. It dawned on her that while the Indian market was making a shift to ‘healthier’ teas such as green tea, they were compromising on quality by choosing brands that did not exactly pride themselves on authentic quality. 

Rashi realised that the fault wasn’t only in the quality of the teas, but also in the teabags, which were often bleached or opaque, rendering the product inside useless. So, even when people thought they were making a switch to “healthier” alternatives of tea, the case wasn’t always so. 

With a plan to introduce an experimental tea brand that would blend the best quality leaves with fruits, flowers and herbs, Rashi launched Gardner Street Tea. 

Their signature collection includes Berry Good, Chinese Whispers, Flower Power, Lemon Aid, and Moroccan Mint. 

4. No. 3 Clive Road 

 

India’s synonymy with chai is well known, but apart from a few local brands, tea from here isn’t recognised globally. This thought fuelled Radhika Chopra from Delhi to launch No. 3 Clive Road, a name that was an ode to her father’s birthplace in Delhi. 

But as she discovered with time, the hardest part about launching a tea brand in India was getting people to sway from their usual homemade tea and try these unique blends, a feat that she has mastered over the years.  

Their range of teas comprises Wildflower Green tea, the Jaipur blend, Jodhpur blend, and even a mystery blend that boasts of vanilla, juniper berries and ginger, and these are shipped worldwide today. 

Buy here.

5. Tea Trunk 

 

It was a curious story that led tea sommelier Snigdha Manchanda to launch Tea Trunk in 2013. Through her growing up years, a vintage trunk in her room was perpetually filled with exotic teas from different lands — all gifts by relatives and friends. 

So, in 2011, with a passion to be an entrepreneur and a trunk of 100 rare teas, Snigdha enrolled herself into a professional tea school in Sri Lanka where she studied under the guidance of  Japanese tea master, Nao Kumekawa. The rest as they say is history. 

Tea Trunk sources the leaves directly from farmers, crafts teas in small batches to avoid spoilage, and classifies its teas according to the condition people are looking to get help with; hormonal imbalances, detox, throat concerns, etc. 

Buy here.

6. The Hillcart Tales 

 

The artisanal tea brand was born in the 1800s, helmed by a man named Ashutosh Ghosh, then a civil contractor. During a trip across the North, Ghosh visited tea gardens that left him so fascinated that he soon took on the role of purchasing agent for Harrison & Crossfield, one of the largest tea houses of the time.

After setting up an outlet on Harrison Road, Calcutta (Kolkata), he began sourcing and blending teas. Hillcart Tales has been in existence for over 120 years now, and as the brand boasts, they continue to be picky with the quality of the leaves. 

From the simplest flavours like Ginger-Lemon, Green, and Darjeeling Long Leaf tea to the sweet and buttery Assam Ambrosia, vibrant Blood Orange, and soothing Magic Dusk tea, this centuries old venture has carried into the fourth generation today, and continues Ghosh’s legacy. 

Buy here.

7. Chai Diaries 

Inspiration finds you in the strangest of ways, and this holds true for Ami Bhansali, the founder of Chai Diaries. 

While her family’s tea gardens in South India were blooming, Ami was pursuing a course at New York Business School in 2010. During one college project where they were required to brainstorm on a business model, she thought a chai venture seemed like the perfect idea. How fascinating would it be to use her degree knowledge and couple it with her own love for tea and brews? That’s how Chai Diaries was launched in 2011.  

“At the end of the day, we sell tea—fresh, delicious camellia sinensis leaves blended with fruits and botanicals. We realise we’re not selling the pathway to world peace, but we are selling just a sliver of that,” she writes on her website. 

8. Aromica Tea 

 

Assam entrepreneur Ranjit Baruah’s work in a tea company meant various postings across tea estates in India. These visits also highlighted a ground reality — that the growers rarely had any proper channels for selling their high-quality organic tea. 

With the vision to empower these farmers, Ranjit and his wife Dolly Sharma Baruah brought them under one umbrella – Aromica Tea, a brand launched in October 2018, through which they began sourcing organic tea and began making flavoured tea blends.

Under their banner, they have launched over 26 blends of different types of handcrafted teas, sourced over 1,500 kg of tea from around 250 tea growers in a year, and sold over 450 units of their products in a month. 

Their hit favourites continue to be tulsi green tea, mint green tea, lemongrass ginger green tea, exotic green tea, and blooming tea, as well as unique blends like blue pea tea using the blue pea flower, the fiery tea made using bhut jolokia (one of the hottest chillies in the world), Valentine tea which contains strawberry, rose petal, dark chocolate chips, and more. 

9. Tulsi Tea 

The brand had humble beginnings in the form of a ‘kirana’ (grocery) shop in Gujarat’s Amreli district. As the 44-year-old Haresh Kathrotiya recounts, their provisions store, started in 1981, was a space for locals to avail of everything ranging from grocery items to daily essentials to tea powders.

Eight-year-old Haresh would sit at the store tending to customers. However in 1997, while he was studying in Rajkot, a medical emergency in the family meant he had to leave his degree and go back to the family business. This was when he had an idea.

“I wanted to do something different, and since our teas were our pride, we thought of starting a tea business,” he says.

So, since 1999, Tulsi Tea has been giving Gujarat a taste of its chai patti, growing over time by expanding the business with delivery vans and machines. “When people taste our teas, they understand why they are different from the rest. The colour and the aroma are all unique,” adds Haresh. 

With 300 distributors, 60,000 retail outlets and 40 orders every month, Tulsi Tea is now a 200 crore turnover business and as Haresh says, “the USP has always been ‘consistency’”.

Edited by Divya Sethu and Pranita Bhat

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In most Indian homes today, the first thing the family does on returning home is reach for the AC remote. The second thing is to debate the temperature. 24? 22? Someone always wants 18.

But across the country, a small number of homeowners have managed to escape this household sport altogether. They live in houses that simply don't need an AC. The remote, if it exists, gathers dust. The bedrooms cool themselves. The courtyards do the work that compressors do elsewhere.

This week, let's take a look at four such homes.

Over 40°C Outside, But This Gujarat House Stays Cool Without AC – Here’s How!

When the owners of Cool House in Bharuch went to architect Samira Rathod with a brief, it was almost embarrassingly simple. They wanted a home that beat the arid Gujarat heat without an AC. Samira designed a south-facing, "introverted" house with a channel running from the northeast to the southwest so the wind could pass through.

The breeze cools down further by skimming over a water body. Outside, it's 45°C. Inside, around 30. "If you come and sit in the courtyard, you won't need a fan," says the owner. Three generations live there.

Read the full story here.

Watch: The Genius Design Keeping This Bengaluru Home Cool Without AC!

Sathya Prakash Varanashi is an architect, so when it came to building a home for his wife, Ishala and daughters, Gauri and Siri, he wrote the brief himself. No cement walls. He used hollow clay blocks instead, which regulate temperature naturally — cool in summer, warm in winter. There's a fish pond, cascading streams, and an open well. A natural chimney lets hot air escape; sliding doors open the rooms to the garden.

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The house has been standing for 21 years, stays two to three degrees cooler inside, and stores 15,000 litres of rainwater. "A house truly becomes a home, when it becomes the real manifestation of the way the family lives in it," he says.

Read the full story here.

'It's 3-4 Degrees Cooler Inside': This Gorgeous Sustainable Home is Surrounded by Mango Trees

Ayurvedic doctor Ajay Gharat had one brief for architects Shriya Parasrampuria and Prashant Dupare: don't touch the five mango trees on the plot. They didn't. The roof was carefully shaped to slip under the trees' canopies so the leaves could shade the house naturally. The walls are exposed brick.

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The staircase has a load-bearing wall built from upcycled beer bottles that glows at sunset. The beds and benches are brick. The house is 3 to 4 degrees cooler than the air outside, cost Rs 45 lakh, and is called Asmalay — a name that doubles as initials for Ajay, his wife Swara, and their two children.

Read the full story here.

Stunning Sustainable Home in Bengaluru Harvests Sun & Rain, Stays 12 Degrees Cooler

UX designer Satish Shastry and his wife Dharitri started this house over an evening chai. The brief: a home that breathes. Architect Sathya Prakash Varanashi gave them an arch foundation (instead of steel), hollow clay block walls, a filler-slab roof made with inverted mud pots, and Athangudi tiles on the floor.

The 2,200 sq ft house stays 10 to 12 degrees cooler than the outside on summer afternoons, costs about 15 per cent less than a conventional build, and runs on solar power and harvested rainwater. The terrace garden grows papayas, mangoes, oranges, and chillies. The yoga room sits on a red-oxide floor that stays cool even when Bengaluru doesn't.

Read the full story here.

At 80 Niruben still handcrafts fresh ice cream every single day in Ahmedabad

From mango and sitaphal to coconut and ginger lemon every flavour is made with real fruits no preservatives and the same warmth she started with over 40 years ago

What began in her kitchen slowly became one of Ahmedabad’s most loved local favorites proving that passion consistency and honesty never go out of style.

In a world rushing toward shortcuts Niruben’s story reminds us that people still remember things made with care

And maybe the most inspiring part is this — dreams don’t come with an expiry date ❤️

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“Am I in Chandigarh… or Beverly Hills?”

Behind Chandigarh’s calm roads blooming trees and peaceful beauty lies the vision of Mohinder Singh Randhawa, the man who transformed barren post Partition land into India’s iconic “City Beautiful” ✨

While Le Corbusier designed the city’s structure Randhawa gave it life colour and soul planting thousands of trees creating healing green spaces and shaping a city where nature and people could coexist beautifully

From gulmohar lined avenues to gardens that still define Chandigarh today his vision quietly proves that urban planning is not just about buildings It’s about how a city makes people feel

And maybe the real question is if one Indian city can feel this thoughtful green and peaceful… why not more? ❤️

#Chandigarh #CityBeautiful #UrbanIndia #IndianHeritage #CaseStudy #GreenCities #IndiaInspires #UrbanPlanning #SustainableCities #IndianStories #EnvironmentalDesign #SmartCities #PositiveStories

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At Mandwa near Alibag in Maharashtra, the sea is carrying a new kind of crop.

For generations, Koli fishing families here went into the Arabian Sea looking for fish and crustaceans. Now, near the jetty, bamboo rafts hold rows of seaweed. The crop grows underwater for about 45 days before it is harvested, dried and sold to companies that use it in fertilisers, cosmetics, medicines and food products.

The shift may look small from the shore. For fishing families, it can change the way income arrives at home.

Along many parts of India’s coastline, fishing has become harder to depend on fully. Catch is more unpredictable, diesel costs are higher, rough weather can keep boats ashore, and a poor week at sea can mean little money coming in. Seaweed farming is gaining attention because it offers coastal families something practical: a crop they can grow in the sea while continuing to fish.

It is not a miracle climate solution. It will not replace fishing or solve coastal poverty. But it could become a useful second livelihood for families living with an increasingly uncertain sea.

First, what does a seaweed farmer actually do?

Seaweed farming is simpler than it sounds.

A farmer or fishing family sets up ropes, bamboo rafts or longlines in shallow seawater. Small pieces of seaweed are tied to these ropes. Over the next few weeks, the seaweed grows naturally in the ocean. Once it is ready, it is harvested, dried onshore and sold.

In Mandwa, Alibag’s first commercial seaweed farm uses 50 bamboo rafts and 20 longlines to cultivate Kappaphycus alvarezii, a red seaweed used in carrageenan production. Carrageenan is a natural thickening and stabilising agent used in food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

The crop cycle is short, which is one reason fishing families are interested. In the Mandwa project, one harvest takes about 45 days. Fisher Mahesh Dhake told The Times of India that seaweed farming helped increase his overall income by nearly 30 percent after declining fish catch pushed him towards shore-based work. Wet seaweed was reported to fetch around Rs 20 per kg, while dried seaweed fetched around Rs 130 per kg, depending on quality and processing.

For a family used to depending on the day’s catch, the appeal is clear. Seaweed does not guarantee wealth. But it can create another payment cycle in the background.

Why is this more sustainable than regular farming?

Traditional farming usually needs land, freshwater, irrigation, fertiliser and labour over several months. Seaweed asks for much less.

It grows in seawater. It does not need agricultural land. It does not require groundwater, borewells or irrigation canals. It does not need chemical fertilisers in the way land crops often do. For coastal families with limited land and irregular income, that matters.

In simple terms, seaweed farming uses space that farming on land cannot use: the sea.

That is why researchers and policymakers see it as useful in a country where agriculture is already under pressure from water scarcity, soil degradation and rising input costs. India produced 72,385 tonnes of seaweed in 2023, and the main cultivated species include Kappaphycus alvarezii and Gracilaria edulis, which are used for carrageenan and agar production. Seaweed is also used in food, biofertilisers, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, animal feed and biofuels. 

The sustainability argument, then, is not that seaweed will save the planet. It is that it can produce useful raw material without adding more pressure on farmland and freshwater.

What does this mean for a coastal household?

For a coastal family, the practical benefit is not abstract climate resilience. It is income that does not depend entirely on fishing.

Imagine a small fishing household. On good days, the boat returns with enough catch to sell. On bad days, diesel has been spent but the earnings are poor. During rough weather, the family may not be able to go out at all.

Seaweed changes this slightly. While fishing continues, a crop is growing close to shore. When harvested, it can be dried and sold. Women in the household can also participate in seed preparation, drying, sorting and processing.

In Mandwa, men manage the sea operations, while women are involved in preparing seed lines and post-harvest work. The project currently includes 11 cooperative members. It is not yet a large movement, but it shows how seaweed can become a shared family livelihood rather than an activity restricted to those who go deep into the sea. 

Tamil Nadu offers another example. ICAR-CMFRI has supported seaweed farming among coastal fishing families, including in Ramanathapuram district. In one supported model, annual earnings were estimated at nearly Rs 96,000 per farmer under favourable conditions and multiple crop cycles.

These are not enormous incomes. But they are meaningful when seen as supplementary earnings. For families facing uncertain fish catch, a few additional harvests a year can help with school fees, household expenses or debt repayment.

How does seaweed help farming on land?

Seaweed is also useful after it leaves the coast.

Some seaweed is processed into products used in agriculture. These are often called bio-stimulants. Put simply, a bio-stimulant is a plant supplement. It is sprayed on crops to support growth, improve stress tolerance and help plants cope better with heat, poor soil or limited water.

CSIR-CSMCRI in Gujarat has developed seaweed sap technology using Kappaphycus alvarezii. This technology is used in products such as Sagarika, and institutional documents note trials across crops including rice, maize, soybean, sugarcane and pulses. 

This does not mean seaweed can replace fertilisers. That would be an overclaim. The more realistic point is that seaweed-based inputs may help farmers reduce dependence on some chemical inputs over time, depending on the crop, soil and conditions.

So seaweed connects to sustainable farming in two ways: it gives coastal families a low-input crop to grow in the sea, and it can become part of cleaner agricultural input systems on land.

Why is India trying to grow this sector now?

India has the coastline, but not yet the scale.

Government data says India produced 72,385 tonnes of seaweed in 2023. Research institutions have identified 384 potential cultivation sites covering 24,707 hectares across the Indian coastline. Seaweed cultivation has also been identified as a priority activity under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana to support employment and additional income for fishing and coastal communities. 

NITI Aayog’s strategy for the seaweed value chain argues that India has potential to build cultivation, processing and market systems around seaweed. The report focuses on livelihoods, value addition, seed systems, processing infrastructure and better governance. 

This is important because seaweed farming cannot grow only through enthusiasm. Farmers need good seed, training, permissions, insurance, buyers and processing units. Without those, seaweed remains a promising pilot rather than a reliable livelihood.

Mandwa’s farmers have already pointed to some of these barriers: weak market access, lack of insurance against cyclones or oil spills, fragmented permissions and no seed bank in Maharashtra. 

So, can seaweed farming really help?

Yes, but in a specific and practical way.

Seaweed farming is unlikely to become India’s next agricultural revolution. It will not replace fishing. It will not solve climate change. It will not automatically make every coastal family financially secure.

What it can do is more grounded.

It can give fishing families another crop when fish catch becomes unreliable. It can create income without using farmland or freshwater. It can involve women in coastal livelihoods through drying, sorting and processing. It can supply raw material for industries ranging from food to biofertilisers. And it can support research into cleaner farming inputs.

That is why seaweed matters.

Not because it is a perfect solution, but because it fits a real gap in coastal India: families need income that can survive changing seas.

In places like Mandwa, that future is already visible. A family may still fish. But nearby, tied to ropes beneath the water, another harvest is growing.

Sources

‘Alibag’s First Seaweed Farm Could Change What Koli Fishers Catch & Earn’: by Joeanna Fernandes, Published on 12 April 2026

‘Integrated processes for simultaneous production of sap and κ-carrageenan from fresh seaweed’: by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research–Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute

‘Seaweed Production and Blue Economy Initiatives in India’: by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Press Information Bureau, Government of India, Published on 18 March 2025

‘Strategy for the Development of Seaweed Value Chain in India’: by Dr. Neelam Patel,Paremal Banafarr, Dr. Purvaja Ramachandran, Dr. Arup Ghosh, Dr. Johnson B, Dr. Dharani G, Published in 2024

‘Seaweed: A Climate-Resilient Future for India’s Blue Economy’: by Poornima Vengaprath Bhattathiri, Published on 5 Jan 2026

'A Rs 200 Crore Opportunity: Is Seaweed Farming the Future of Coastal India?’: By Mervin Preethi for The Better India Published on 1 October 2025

This article is in partnership with the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India

Dr Sonali Sharma and her husband were returning from a day trip to the serene Nako Lake in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district when they encountered unexpected congestion and saw ambulances rushing past them. The unmistakable sign of an accident ahead was clear. While most drivers continued seemingly unaffected, Sonali and her husband made a life-changing decision: they stopped to help.

Without hesitation, Sonali, a medical professional, provided immediate care to the accident victim, who had suffered fractures, lacerations, soft tissue injuries, and head trauma. Once medical personnel arrived, the couple resumed their journey, knowing they had made a difference in someone’s life.

What followed was a reward of Rs 25,000 through the Rah-Veer Scheme, an initiative that supports citizens who come forward during the 'Golden Hour', the first 60 minutes after a road accident, when prompt medical attention can make all the difference in saving lives.

Launched by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in 2020, the Rah-Veer Scheme is part of the Good Samaritan Rules, a groundbreaking initiative that encourages citizens to step up and help during road emergencies.

Those who step forward receive not just recognition but also a Rs 25,000 cash award and a certificate of appreciation. If multiple Rah-Veers assist a single victim, the reward is shared equally. Additionally, ten exceptional Rah-Veers are honoured each year with national recognition, receiving Rs 1,00,000, a trophy, and a certificate during National Road Safety Month.

How can you volunteer to be a Good Samaritan?  

“It’s heartbreaking to see people instinctively reach for their phones to capture accidents instead of helping,” Sonali reflects. “But through initiatives like Rah-Veer, we are reminded that our actions can save lives.”

The scheme ensures that citizens who help accident victims are shielded from legal complexities. There is no requirement to disclose personal information, and no one will be detained. Their privacy is protected, encouraging more people to step in when they are needed most.

While Sonali’s medical expertise played a crucial role in treating the victim's injuries, the Rah-Veer initiative is open to all citizens, regardless of medical training. Even non-medical volunteers can step in as Rah-Veers. 

If you choose to volunteer as a witness under the Rah-Veer Scheme, the process is designed for ease, requiring just a single, flexible examination at a time and place of your choosing, with participation remaining entirely voluntary and based on your comfort.

While the Rah-Veer initiative places the power of immediate response in citizens' hands, it also operates within a broader ecosystem of state support designed to safeguard accident victims. Once those critical first moments have passed, the focus shifts to ensuring sustained medical care without the burden of financial strain. 

It is here that the PM RAHAT (Prime Minister’s Road Accident Victims’ Hospitalisation and Assured Treatment) Scheme bridges the gap between emergency assistance and longer-term support. It reinforces the idea that road safety is not just about timely action, but also about accessible care and institutional backing.

Providing emergency medical care to victims of road accidents  

According to government data, fatal road accidents increased from 1,55,781 in 2022 to 1,60,509 in 2023, accounting for 33.4 percent of all road accidents that year. 

No life should be lost for lack of immediate medical care.

This led to the idea of the PM RAHAT scheme. Introduced by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, it is designed to guarantee cashless treatment to road accident victims during the critical Golden Hour, when swift medical attention can significantly improve survival chances.

The scheme covers anyone injured in a road accident involving a motor vehicle: drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, and even bystanders, regardless of nationality. Victims are entitled to cashless treatment of up to Rs 1.5 lakh for a period of up to seven days, with care available at designated hospitals as well as those empanelled under AB PM-JAY (Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) empanelled hospitals. 

Crucially, hospitals are legally mandated to provide immediate treatment and cannot deny admission or demand upfront payment, reinforcing accountability within the healthcare system.

What makes PM RAHAT particularly significant is its seamless approach to funding. 

Treatment costs are covered by contributions from general insurance companies in insured cases and by government support in cases involving uninsured or hit-and-run vehicles. By removing financial barriers at the point of care, the scheme ensures that the focus remains where it should be, on saving lives. 

The scheme establishes a robust financial mechanism to cover the immediate treatment costs for road crash victims. These costs are primarily borne by contributions from general insurance companies, specifically when the vehicle involved is insured. This ensures that the financial burden does not fall directly on the victim or their family during a critical time.

Furthermore, recognising the complexity of real-world scenarios, the government provides essential financial support for cases involving uninsured vehicles or for tragic hit-and-run incidents where the responsible party cannot be identified or held accountable. This two-pronged funding approach guarantees that the immediate healthcare needs of all road crash victims are met, regardless of the insurance status of the vehicles involved.

By meticulously removing these financial barriers, the concern about how to pay for emergency medical care at the critical 'point of care' can be lifted, allowing the entire focus of the healthcare system and first responders to remain on the most crucial objective: saving lives and providing timely, effective medical intervention. This systemic removal of financial hesitation is key to the scheme's core mission of drastically reducing fatalities and disabilities resulting from road crashes.

Sources

'Road Accidents in India 2023': by Ministry of Road Transport And Highways (Transport Research Wing), Government of India

Do you remember your craft classes in school? The smell of glue, the excitement of picking colours, and the quiet thrill of turning scraps into something proudly your own. Back then, it was just an hour of fun. But what if those same playful experiments could spark real change today?

At Buddha College in Haryana, that familiar classroom nostalgia has been reimagined into something far more meaningful — a lesson in creativity, collaboration, and sustainability.

Turning waste into wonder

What began as a classroom challenge soon transformed into an inspiring exercise in mindful creation. Fashion students were given a simple yet thought-provoking task: use waste fabric to create patchwork designs.

The first step? Collecting discarded cloth. 

Pieces of fabric in different colours, textures, and materials, remnants that might otherwise have been thrown away, became the foundation of their work.

Armed with these scraps, each student began sketching their own designs. There were no rigid rules, just imagination guiding the process. 

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Soon, needles and threads came alive as students stitched together fragments, experimenting with patterns, colours, and forms. Every piece was unique, reflecting the personality and creativity of its maker.

Learning beyond the classroom

What made this exercise truly special was the process. Teachers didn’t just instruct, they collaborated. Walking around the classroom, they offered feedback, nudged ideas forward, and helped refine each design.

It wasn’t about perfection; it was about discovery.

Within 48 hours, each student had created their own patchwork panel. But the story didn’t end there.

In a beautiful act of collaboration, all the individual pieces were brought together — stitched into one large fabric. All of this resulted in a stunning patchwork creation big enough to be used as a bedsheet, or even reimagined as a saree.

Stitching sustainability into campus life

This project is more than just a creative assignment; it’s a glimpse into how sustainability can be seamlessly woven into education. By using waste materials, these students are not only reducing textile waste but also learning the value of conscious design.

It’s hands-on, it’s meaningful, and most importantly, it empowers students to think differently about the resources around them.

Because sometimes, all it takes is a classroom, a pile of forgotten fabric, and a spark of creativity to remind us that even the smallest pieces can come together to create something truly beautiful.

In Kerala’s Malappuram district, the village of Kodinhi has learned to live with double takes.

Walk through its narrow lanes, and you may spot identical children cycling to school, twins helping their parents in small shops, or elderly siblings finishing each other’s sentences with practised ease. In most places, twins spark curiosity. 

In Kodinhi, they are simply part of everyday life.

Over the years, this quiet village has become famous as India’s “Twin Town”, drawing the attention of scientists, journalists, and now even advertisers intrigued by its extraordinary story. 

But beyond the statistics and global fascination lies something far more meaningful — a community that transformed a rare biological mystery into a shared cultural identity.

The numbers behind Kodinhi’s twin phenomenon

Kodinhi’s twin phenomenon is remarkable by any measure. In a village of around 2,000 families, there are believed to be anywhere between 400 and 550 pairs of twins. 

The twinning rate here is estimated at 42 to 45 twin births per 1,000 deliveries, several times higher than the Indian average.

What makes it even more unusual is that the pattern has continued for decades. Every year, new pairs of twins are born, almost as though the village itself carries an invisible rhythm that science has yet to decode.

Researchers from India and abroad have spent years studying Kodinhi. They have explored environmental causes, dietary habits, water composition, and genetic patterns. Yet no single explanation has fully solved the mystery.

Unlike some parts of the world where specific foods are believed to influence twin births, Kodinhi offers no obvious clue. 

Studies have also ruled out pollution, chemicals, and lifestyle factors. Even genetics, though considered a strong possibility, has not yielded definitive answers.

And still, the twins keep arriving.

How the village turned curiosity into community

But perhaps the most fascinating part of Kodinhi’s story is not the mystery itself — it is the way the village chose to respond to it.

In many communities, being different can become a burden. In Kodinhi, it became a bond.

Locals gradually embraced the phenomenon as a defining part of village life. Families began recognising familiar experiences across households — the confusion of dressing identical children alike, the practical jokes twins played in school, the unique emotional closeness siblings shared. 

Over time, what could have remained an oddity evolved into collective pride. That spirit eventually led to the creation of the Twins and Kins Association, better known as TAKA, in 2008.

The organisation was started not merely to count twins, but to build connections among them. TAKA maintains records of twin births, organises annual gatherings, and creates support systems for families navigating the practical and emotional aspects of raising twins.

Its events are unlike anything most people have seen — hundreds of twins, often dressed similarly, gathering for community celebrations that feel equal parts festival and family reunion. 

The meetings allow parents to exchange advice, children to form friendships with others who share similar experiences, and researchers to better understand the phenomenon.

More importantly, the association gave Kodinhi ownership over its own narrative.

Instead of allowing outsiders to define the village purely as a scientific curiosity, residents reclaimed the story as something joyful, communal, and deeply human.

Why Kodinhi continues to fascinate people

That sense of identity is part of why Kodinhi continues to resonate far beyond Kerala.

Recently, the village returned to public conversation through a viral advertising campaign that playfully imagined a world where everything comes in pairs. 

The campaign used Kodinhi’s real-life reputation as a creative backdrop, introducing many younger audiences to the village for the first time.

Online reactions focused not just on the humour, but on the uniqueness of the place itself. For many viewers, Kodinhi felt almost mythical — a real-world village where coincidence seems to repeat itself generation after generation.

Yet the residents themselves often speak about the phenomenon with striking calmness.

Many locals consider twins a blessing and view the village’s reputation with affection rather than spectacle. Scientific theories coexist comfortably with local beliefs, family traditions, and stories passed down through generations.

More than a scientific mystery

In a world increasingly driven by algorithms and explanations, Kodinhi remains beautifully unresolved.

No study has fully answered why so many twins are born here. But the village may already have discovered the more important truth: extraordinary things become meaningful when communities build stories, rituals, and relationships around them.

Kodinhi is not simply a village with an unusually high number of twins. It is a place where biology shaped culture, where curiosity created community, and where a mystery became a source of belonging.

And perhaps that is why people keep returning to its story — not just to understand the science, but to witness how an entire village learned to celebrate what makes it different.

Sources:

‘Inside The "Twin Town" In Kerala Where 1 In Every 5 People Is A Twin’: by Dristi Sharma for NDTV, Published on 6 May 2026

‘The "Twin Village of India": Why does THIS place have so many twins?’: by TOI Trending Desk for The Times of India, Published on 4 April 2025

Originally reported and written in March 2023, this story has been republished as part of our archival content.

After retirement, Paramjeet Kharal set out on a pilgrimage, albeit of a different kind. 

This pilgrimage included river rafting in Bhutan, bungee jumping in Thailand, learning how mummies were made in Egypt, watching picturesque sunsets, travelling on the steepest train lines in the stunning Blue Mountains and riding in hot air balloons in Australia. 

Now 70, Paramjeet has visited at least 27 countries since retirement.

“These are novel and thrilling experiences for me. I try to do adventurous things on most of my trips, because I do not know if I would be able to come back to that country. I love exploring and seeing the cultures of new countries, understanding their histories, tasting their food and unique tea, and experiencing the things I had only studied about in books,” the retired government school teacher tells The Better India.

 

“We play in the snow and on beaches, we become kids on these trips. I have also met so many unknown people, who became my roommates, and later, my lifelong friends. We have made such sweet memories,” adds Paramjeet, who documents the details of her trip — like the countries she visited, the time differences, currency, and cultures — in her journal.

Back in India, the Amritsar-born woman lives with her husband in Gurugram. She explores countries alone on her savings. “I am not dependent on anyone. I am spending whatever I saved. For whom should I leave my money behind?” she asks.

Paramjeet is among the 5,000 senior citizens associated with SeniorWorld, a senior wellness company that organises customised tours for older people, including cancer patients, parents living in old age homes, and persons with disabilities.

The company is the brainchild of Haryana residents M P Deepu and Rahul Gupta, who started SeniorWorld in 2015 with a strong vision of promoting positive ageing.

 

For a forgotten demographic

After working for 18 years in the Telecom industry, Deepu realised the gap in products and services catered to the senior citizens. “The country’s elderly population is expected to double by 2050, implying that every 1 in 5 Indians will likely be a senior citizen. And yet, it is a forgotten demographic. Most companies design primarily for the youth and the silver economy is an ignored segment,” the 50-year-old tells The Better India.

“We always faced an issue while buying products and services for our own family members, and we really wanted to change that. So we launched our own company with a vision to provide travel experience to older people, treating them exactly like we would our parents,” he adds.

 

With this principle, his team takes care of the special needs of the elderly during travel and helps them explore places of their choice with other like-minded travellers.

“Travel is something that is very close to the elderly. These are those people who have retired, done their duties, but did not get opportunities to travel as much as they wanted. Now that they have time and money, they do not have the ability to travel on their own. And unfortunately, as families are becoming nuclear, their children do not stay with them and lack time for their parents,” says Deepu.

The company’s SilverWings Holidays customises assisted travel service for travellers aged between 55 to 95 years. With a paced out itinerary, curated sightseeing points, comfortable seating in vehicles, and tour managers to assist them, the platform hopes to redefine lifestyles by making older people more independent, engaged, and active.

“These members travel, participate in adventure sports, break stereotypes, learn new things like art, singing, dancing, technology and a lot more. Being in this sector has been socially impacting and that’s what keeps us going,” he says.

 

 

 

 

 

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Why should young people have all the fun?

Recalling one such adventurous trip, Deepu says, “When we were in the Northeast, an uncle aged 87 years said he wanted to do ziplining, which was 200 feet above on a hill. And when he did it, 10 more people, including six women, were motivated and did the fun activity.”

“They tell me that had they been with their children or grandchildren and expressed the desire, they would have either been laughed at, or forbidden from participating in the activity. Here, they enjoy their freedom,” he adds.

He says that the travels are organised keeping the health and safety of senior citizens in mind. For instance, hotels are located near hospitals for medical emergencies. “We also keep updating their children by posting updates and pictures with them during their parents’ holiday. It is extremely high touch work,” he adds.

 

 

 

 

 

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So far, they have taken senior groups to over 20 countries across the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Kenya, Dubai, Australia, and several parts of India including the Northeast, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Leh Ladakh. 

“They are breaking stereotypes that these places are for youth, and not for senior citizens. They engage in scuba diving, they swim with dolphins. Our feedback is full of blessings. We get 70 percent repeat customers,” he adds.

Meanwhile, Paramjeet, who visits at least two new countries every year, is setting off to a new 9-day expedition to Japan, which turns into a pink-hued paradise with cherry blossoms every spring.

Edited by Divya Sethu

On a typical summer afternoon in cities like Delhi, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, or Kolkata, concrete buildings feel like they are soaking up the sun and holding onto it long after sunset. Rooftops turn scorching, top-floor rooms become difficult to stay in, and even fans appear to struggle. In many urban homes, especially in dense neighbourhoods, heat does not just come from outside; it gets trapped within the walls.

This is where eco-friendly wall coatings designed to reduce heat absorption are changing how buildings respond to rising temperatures.

What these coatings do

Heat-reflective wall coatings are designed to reduce the amount of solar heat a building absorbs. Instead of letting walls soak up sunlight and slowly release heat indoors, these coatings reflect a massive portion of radiation into the environment.

They are not just paints in the usual sense. They are formulated using reflective pigments, insulating materials, or mineral-based compounds that change how a surface interacts with sunlight. The result is a noticeable reduction in surface temperature and, in turn, cooler indoor spaces.

The potential of white coating

Long before modern coatings entered the market, Indian homes already used one of the most effective heat-reducing solutions, which is white lime wash. In many rural homes, old city buildings, and even temples, walls and roofs are still coated with a mixture of lime and water.

White reflects sunlight naturally. When applied to rooftops or external walls, it prevents a large portion of solar radiation from being absorbed. This is why traditional Indian architecture in hot regions favoured light-coloured exteriors and courtyards.

Even today, white lime coating remains one of the most affordable and accessible ways to reduce heat in buildings. In many low-income housing areas and government-supported ‘cool roof’ initiatives, white reflective coating is still widely used because of its low cost and immediate impact.

However, lime-based whitewash does have limitations. It wears off faster due to rain and weather exposure and needs frequent reapplication, especially in monsoon-heavy regions like Mumbai or coastal cities.

Modern heat-reflective coatings

Alongside traditional white coatings, modern eco-friendly paints have upgraded to provide longer-lasting and more effective cooling.

1. Acrylic reflective coatings

These water-based paints include special pigments that reflect solar radiation while offering a cleaner finish than lime wash. They are commonly used in urban homes and apartment buildings.

2. Ceramic-based coatings

These use tiny ceramic particles that form a heat-resistant layer on walls. They reduce heat transfer more effectively than standard paint and are often used on terraces and top floors exposed to direct sunlight.

3. Nano-technology coatings

These advanced coatings use microscopic particles to reflect infrared and ultraviolet rays. They are more efficient in reducing heat gain and are increasingly used in commercial buildings and premium housing.

4. Elastomeric coatings

Flexible and waterproof, these coatings protect walls from both heat and moisture. They are especially useful in Indian cities that experience both intense summers and heavy monsoons.

Why they matter in India

India’s urban heat challenge is growing continuously. Rising temperatures, dense construction, and shrinking green cover have made many cities warmer than their surrounding rural areas. This ‘urban heat island effect’ means buildings absorb heat during the day and release it slowly at night, keeping homes warm even after sunset.

In such conditions, cooling a home is not just about using fans or air conditioners; it starts with reducing heat entry in the first place.

Eco-friendly coatings help address this by lowering surface temperatures and reducing the overall heat load on buildings. 

Everyday benefits

The impact of these coatings is most noticeable in daily life.

Homes stay cooler during the hottest part of the day, especially on upper floors. Electricity use for cooling often drops because rooms do not heat up as quickly. Roofs and external walls are also protected from long-term damage caused by thermal expansion and contraction.

In many Indian cities, these coatings are also being used in schools, hospitals, and low-income housing projects as part of broader efforts to improve heat resilience.

A practical step towards cooler cities

The factor that makes these coatings relevant is their simplicity. Whether it is a traditional white lime wash or a modern ceramic-based paint, the idea remains the same, which is to reflect the sun instead of absorbing it.

As Indian cities continue to warm, such building-level solutions are becoming an important part of urban planning and home design. They do not replace cooling systems, but they reduce the need for them, making everyday life more manageable during extreme summers.

In many ways, the future of cooler homes in India may begin not with technology inside the house, but with what is painted on its surface.

Before it became a global fashion statement worn by Ivy League elites and luxury brands Madras checks were woven by generations of Indian artisans in Chennai and worn by fishermen workers and everyday people under the city’s harsh heat 🇮🇳✨

Known globally as “Madras checks” these textiles travelled far beyond India eventually becoming a staple in international fashion and even contributing financially to institutions that later became part of Yale University history
But behind every colourful check pattern were Indian weavers whose craftsmanship shaped a global style movement long before the world recognised it

From local fabric to luxury fashion this is more than textile history It is a reminder that Indian artisans have influenced the world for centuries often without receiving the credit they deserve ❤️
Comment “Made In India” because the hands behind these stories should never be forgotten

#IndianTextiles #MadeInIndia #IndianWeavers #TextileHistory #IndianHeritage #SustainableFashion #IndiaInspires #HandloomIndia #FashionHistory #TraditionalCrafts #IndianCraftsmanship #HeritageTextiles #PositiveStories

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What Are Madras Checks
History of Madras Checks Fabric
Indian Textiles That Influenced Global Fashion
Chennai Weavers and Madras Checks
Forgotten Stories of Indian Handloom

Originally reported and written in March 2023, this story has been republished as part of our archival content.

Kerala’s Devika and Devan Chandrasekharan are transforming agricultural practices using drones. This innovation helps farmers produce up to 35 percent more yield.

With a mission to boost farm yield, they launched their startup Fuselage Innovations in 2020. So far, they have launched two drones — Niriksh and Fiya.

Both drones are cloud-connected. Niriksh has sensors that can spot problems such as pests and nutrient deficiencies at an early stage through plant mapping. Instead of spraying all the crops, these drones help spot specific plants or areas needing help. After analysis, Fiya is used to spray the required area.

“Over the past two years, we have seen that adopting drone technology and following the precision farming protocols help boost yield by 25-35 percent. A significant dip of 75 percent has been observed in fertiliser and nutrient use. Efficiently, farmers’ profits have become three times,” Devan, co-founder of the startup, tells The Better India.

The brother-sister duo also provides products and services to farmers. While the drones cost Rs 4-7 lakh, they charge Rs 2,000-5,000 per acre for the service model. So far, the startup has worked with more than 3,500 farmers.

What inspired the two engineers towards the innovation was the devastating Kerala floods, which left fertile land destroyed due to the removal of topsoil.

Learn more about their innovation here:

Edited by Divya Sethu. Photo: Haripriya Shaji

It is often said that pain shapes us, that the most difficult chapters of our lives leave lessons etched deep within us. But for some, pain transcends survival. It transforms into a quiet, formidable force — one that not only redefines their own journey but also ripples outward to change the lives of countless others.

For Devendra Kumar, that transformation began in a place most would struggle to even endure — a crime-ridden slum in Delhi where survival was uncertain, and safety was a privilege. Today, he is the founder of the Ladli Foundation, a grassroots movement that has impacted millions of lives across India and beyond.

But long before the recognition, the awards, or the scale, there was simply a child trying to survive.

“What I went through was not just struggle; it was my training. It made me sensitive, turning my pain into passion and passion into purpose,” Devendra tells The Better India. 

A childhood shaped by survival

Devendra’s story does not begin with opportunity, it begins in the quiet shadow of abandonment, where certainty was scarce and survival came long before hope.

In 1988, when he was just two years old, he was left behind by his parents in a Delhi slum, with his three-day-old sister in his arms. What followed was not a childhood in any conventional sense but a fight for survival shaped by poverty, violence, and neglect.

Raised by extended family members who themselves had limited means, Devendra was pushed into child labour at the age of eight. He sold balloons on the streets, navigating a world where exploitation was common and protection was rare.

Without parental support, he found himself vulnerable to street violence and organised criminal networks that often targeted children like him.

“I used to get beaten up a lot. There was no protection, no control,” he recalls. “Children in such conditions are easy targets.”

In search of safety, he began volunteering informally with local community policing initiatives. What started as an attempt to find refuge, helping clean grounds or assisting in small activities, slowly became something deeper.

That space gave him something he had never experienced before: a sense of belonging and safety.

It was here that the seed of volunteering was planted, a seed that would eventually grow into a life’s mission.

Turning personal struggle into collective change

The turning point in Devendra’s journey came years later, not for himself, but for his sister.

Growing up in a vulnerable environment, he witnessed firsthand the pressures that young girls face — early marriage, dowry expectations, and the looming threat of exploitation. In 2007, when his sister faced similar risks, Devendra fought against the odds to ensure she was not pushed into child marriage. That experience stayed with him.

“I realised this was not just my story but the reality for so many girls around me,” he adds.

In 2010, driven by that realisation, he founded Ladli Foundation, an organisation dedicated to protecting and empowering vulnerable girls and women from underserved communities.

What began as a small, volunteer-led effort has today grown into an internationally recognised grassroots organisation working across sectors such as education, healthcare, sanitation, and livelihood development.

At its core, Ladli Foundation focuses on bridging critical gaps – from digital access in schools to menstrual hygiene infrastructure and from preventing child marriage to supporting girls’ education.

One of its most significant contributions has been addressing the digital divide. In government schools where children had never used a computer, Ladli foundation, set up computer labs and enabled access to digital education for over a lakh students.

“Children didn’t even know where letters were on the keyboard,” Devendra says. “How could they compete in a system that requires digital literacy?”

Over the years, the foundation has also introduced AI-enabled smart washrooms for girls in schools — tackling a deeply overlooked issue of hygiene and dignity that often leads to absenteeism.

Today, Ladli Foundation has directly impacted over 2.7 million people, with initiatives spanning across India and expanding internationally.

Despite the scale, Devendra insists the organisation remains rooted in its original philosophy — community-driven, volunteer-led, and grounded in real needs.

“We are not a business organisation,” he says. “We are a blessed organisation, with so many volunteers coming together to support this work.”

Building a movement with purpose and partnership

Behind Devendra’s journey is not just resilience, but also a support system that has stood by him through uncertainty.

His wife, Pankhuri Singhal, who became part of his life years after the foundation was established, recalls being deeply moved when she first learned about his journey.

“When I truly understood his story — his struggles and his vision, I was inspired,” Pankhuri says. “What impressed me most was his honesty and dedication. This is not just social work for him. It is his life’s purpose.”

At home, she describes him as simple, grounded, and deeply connected to his roots — qualities that remain unchanged despite his achievements.

But the journey has not been without challenges. From financial instability to long working hours and the emotional demands of sustaining a social mission, the early years and even the present have required constant perseverance.

“There were moments of concern,” Pankhuri admits. “Social work does not offer stability in the conventional sense. But his clarity of purpose gave me confidence.”

Over time, that uncertainty transformed into unwavering support.

Today, she has witnessed firsthand the impact of Ladli Foundation – meeting girls whose lives have been transformed through education, healthcare, and opportunity.

“Their confidence and happiness reflect the true value of his work,” she says. “More than awards, it is these stories that make me proud.”

From seeking support to leading change

Among the many lives Ladli Foundation has touched, Kamini’s story stands as a powerful example of what sustained support can achieve.

Raised in a slum community where girls’ education was often discouraged, Kamini’s journey was nearly cut short after she completed her Class 12 education. Financial constraints and societal pressures meant her family was ready to stop her studies and possibly marry her off.

“I don’t think I would have continued my education if Ladli had not come into my life,” she says.

In 2015, she became part of the Ladli Foundation — initially as a beneficiary and soon after, as a volunteer teacher at one of its centres. Supporting children from similar backgrounds, she began earning a small stipend, which she used to fund her own education.

What followed was a remarkable transformation.

With mentorship and support from the foundation, Kamini completed her higher education, gradually taking on larger roles within the organisation — from field coordinator to senior leadership.

Today, at just 26, she serves as a trustee of Ladli Foundation.

“It has been a full-circle journey,” she says. “From being a beneficiary to now helping lead the organisation, it has changed my life completely.”

Her impact has extended beyond her own story. Inspired by her journey, her family, who had earlier discontinued education for other girls, began supporting their studies again.

Kamini also went on to receive the prestigious Diana Award, an international recognition for young changemakers.

But for her, the real achievement lies elsewhere.

“I just want to provide the same opportunities I received to other girls,” she says. “Health, education, respect, and equal opportunity — every girl deserves that.”

A message rooted in action

Despite the scale Ladli Foundation has achieved — from national awards to global recognition — Devendra remains focused on a simple but powerful idea: that real change does not come from charity alone but from responsibility.

One of the biggest challenges he identifies is not funding, but the lack of skilled volunteers.

“People think donating money is enough,” he says. “But without understanding where it goes and how it is used, impact is lost.”

His vision is clear: a society where individuals take ownership of change at a grassroots level.

“If every home takes responsibility for one marginalised girl, a revolution can happen,” he says.

He encourages people to move beyond passive support and become active participants — to understand problems, build skills, and contribute meaningfully.

“What we need are skilled volunteers,” he adds. “People who know what to do, why to do it, and for whom.”

Looking ahead, Devendra envisions Ladli Foundation growing into a global grassroots movement, one that continues to amplify the voices of marginalised women and communities.

But at its heart, the mission remains unchanged. To ensure that no child has to endure the kind of childhood he did and no girl’s future is decided by circumstance alone.

Along with this, it acts as a reminder for us to understand that even from the most difficult beginnings, it is possible to build something that changes the world — one life at a time.

All images courtesy Ladli Foundation team

A sunflower does not really demand much from you. It just needs a bit of soil, consistent sunlight and a corner where it can grow at its own pace. In return, it slowly turns an ordinary space into something brighter without making a fuss about it. Even a small pot on a balcony or near a window is enough for it to settle in and do what it does best.

If you are trying this for the first time, it helps to think of it less as a task and more as something you check in on from time to time. The plant does most of the work on its own.

1. Pick a pot that gives the roots space

Go for a pot that is deep rather than wide. Around 12 to 16 inches is usually enough for most balcony varieties. What really matters is drainage. The water should be able to leave easily, so the roots do not sit in damp soil. Clay pots tend to work well because they keep things balanced and stable.

2. Choose seeds that stay manageable in pots

For containers, shorter sunflower varieties are the better choice. They grow well without becoming too tall or unstable. These are often labelled for small gardens or pots and are easier to handle in everyday spaces.

3. Build soil that drains well and feeds the plant

Sunflowers prefer soil that feels loose and breathable. A mix of garden soil, compost and a little sand usually does the job. It should hold some moisture but never feel heavy or compact. Filling the pot with this mix gives the seeds a strong start.

4. Place seeds just below the surface

Make small holes and drop in the seeds about a couple of centimetres deep. Cover them lightly and water gently so the soil is evenly damp. Within days, small green shoots will begin to appear without much effort.

5. Keep them where the sun is strongest

These plants need direct sunlight for most of the day. A spot that gets at least five to six hours works best. As they grow, they naturally turn towards the light, adjusting themselves throughout the day.

6. Water when the soil begins to dry

There is no fixed routine needed. Just check the top layer of soil. If it feels dry, water it lightly. In warmer weather, this may be more frequent, while cooler days need less. The aim is consistent moisture, not constant wetness.

7. Let only the strongest seedlings stay

If more than one seed sprouts in a single spot, it helps to remove the weaker ones. This gives the stronger plant enough room and nutrients to grow properly without competing for space.

8. Add support as the stem rises

Once the plant gains height, it may need help staying upright. A simple stick placed gently in the soil and tied loosely to the stem keeps it steady without restricting its growth.

9. Feed lightly as it grows

A small amount of compost or organic feed every couple of weeks is enough. Sunflowers do not need heavy feeding. A light touch keeps them healthy and steady.

10. Wait for the bloom to open

After a period of regular growth, a bud appears and slowly opens into a bright yellow flower. Once it blooms, it follows the sun through the day, shifting its face with the light.

Growing sunflowers in pots is less about effort and more about giving them the right conditions and stepping back. Over time, that single plant becomes a presence that changes how the space feels.

Meet Shruti Agarwal and Sunil Agarwal, the couple who stood up when bulldozers threatened Navi Mumbai Flamingo Wetlands 🦩

While developers pushed to destroy nearly 80 hectares of wetlands they refused to stay silent fighting tirelessly to protect an ecosystem that countless migratory birds depend on

Their relentless battle led to a landmark 2018 Bombay High Court ruling helping preserve the wetlands and strengthening Navi Mumbai’s identity as the proud “Flamingo City” 🌿

Because sometimes protecting nature doesn’t begin with governments or large organisations It begins with ordinary people deciding that some things are too precious to lose

If two people can help save an entire ecosystem imagine what all of us could protect together ❤️

#EnvironmentalHeroes #SaveWetlands #FlamingoCity #WildlifeConservation #EcoWarriors #IndiaInspires #NaturePreservation #ClimateAction #SustainableDevelopment #SaveNature #WetlandConservation #PositiveStories #EnvironmentalProtection

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Who Saved Navi Mumbai Flamingos
Wetland Conservation Stories India
Environmental Activists Protecting Nature India
Navi Mumbai Flamingo City Explained
Inspiring Wildlife Conservation Stories India

In 1889, long before the phrase “unity in diversity” entered textbooks and political speeches, Raja Ravi Varma was already trying to paint the idea of India onto a single canvas.

The result was ‘Galaxy of Musicians’, a work that brought together 11 women from different regions, communities and traditions of the subcontinent, each carrying her own instrument, dress, jewellery and cultural identity. 

But this was not an imagined gathering born entirely inside an artist’s studio. 

Ravi Varma travelled extensively across the country, sketching real women from different communities and observing local attire, fabrics, ornaments and musical traditions before creating the painting.

In many ways, the work became one of the earliest visual attempts to imagine India as a shared cultural space.

At first glance, the painting shows eleven women arranged in a loose musical assembly. 

Some sit cross-legged with instruments resting on their laps. Others stand behind them, listening or waiting for their turn. There is no dramatic movement. 

Yet the deeper one looks, the more political the canvas becomes.

This was colonial India in the late nineteenth century, as one can clearly imagine, it was fragmented by caste, language, religion and region, and governed by the British Raj. 

Nationalism was still taking shape. The idea of India as one nation had not yet fully crystallised in the public imagination. 

Through Galaxy of Musicians, Ravi Varma attempted to visualise the plurality without erasing difference.

Eleven women, eleven regions, one nation

Every figure in the painting carries markers of a distinct identity.

On the left sits a Nair woman from Kerala in a traditional mundu, playing the veena. At the centre is a woman in a Marathi-style saree, wearing the green glass bangles associated with Maharashtrian brides. Toward the right appears a Muslim woman, while another figure in the back row wears a saree with the embroidered border associated with the Parsi community. Beside her stands a woman dressed in clothing resembling British or Indo-European fashion, complete with a feathered hat.

Even the sarees become part of the story.

In nineteenth-century India, draping styles often revealed where a woman came from. 

Fabrics, embroidery, borders and jewellery functioned as social and regional identifiers. Ravi Varma paid close attention to these details. The folds of cloth, metallic shine of ornaments and texture of instruments were painted with unusual precision, turning the canvas into a visual archive of Indian communities.

But unlike earlier colonial-era depictions that often reduced Indians to “types”, Ravi Varma’s women appear individualised. The women were not presented as ethnographic samples for imperial viewing, but as participants in a shared cultural composition.

A different kind of Indian painting

At the time, many British patrons commissioned what became known as “Company School” paintings, which were basically artworks created by Indian artists for officials of the East India Company. These often documented Indian communities, occupations and customs in a catalogue-like manner.

Ravi Varma departed from that tradition.

His women were not arranged merely to display regional costume. Music became the binding force of the composition.

The painting was originally commissioned for the Maharaja of Mysore, and Ravi Varma used the opportunity to create something far larger than a courtly artwork. He turned the canvas into an idea of India itself.

That idea carried even more significance because Ravi Varma was already unlike any artist India had seen before. He became the first professional Indian artist to achieve nationwide acclaim while working for multiple patrons across princely states and elite households. His reputation travelled far beyond Travancore, where he had first trained under royal patronage.

Oil Paint, Realism and a New Visual Language

Part of what made Galaxy of Musicians striking was Ravi Varma’s use of oil paint and European realist techniques.

Oil painting was not traditionally used in indigenous Indian art. It entered the subcontinent through European artists and colonial art schools. Ravi Varma encountered these methods after moving to Trivandrum and later meeting the Anglo-Dutch painter Theodore Jensen in 1868. Watching Jensen work with oils deeply influenced him.

Through oils, Ravi Varma could capture the gleam of jewellery, the softness of fabric and the polished wood of instruments with lifelike detail. Light and shadow gave the figures depth. The realism made viewers feel as if these women occupied a tangible, living world.

Yet his influences were not only European. Ravi Varma also drew from Tanjore painting traditions known for their rich ornamentation and depictions of Hindu deities. 

Art historians later described this synthesis as “Indian realism”.

When art became nationalism

What makes Galaxy of Musicians endure is not only its beauty, but its timing.

By the late nineteenth century, anti-colonial sentiment was growing across India. Resistance to British rule emerged through protests, local uprisings, tax refusals and political organising. Amid this atmosphere, artists began participating in the making of national consciousness.

It was during this crucial time that Varma’s canvas proposed that India could exist as a collective imagination despite its differences.

In this reading, the nation itself becomes the unseen centre of the composition, and eventually, this idea travelled beyond India too.

In 1893, Galaxy of Musicians was exhibited at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago,  the same global event remembered in India for Swami Vivekananda’s landmark speech at the Parliament of Religions.

More than a century later, Ravi Varma’s art continues to shape contemporary culture in unexpected ways. In 2026, filmmaker Karan Johar’s Met Gala ensemble, designed by Manish Malhotra, drew inspiration from several of Ravi Varma’s iconic works. 

The look sparked widespread conversations online, introducing many younger audiences to the painter’s imagery and enduring influence on Indian visual identity.

That renewed interest also reveals why Galaxy of Musicians still feels strikingly contemporary today.

In an era when identity is often debated through division, Ravi Varma’s masterpiece continues to ask an enduring question: can difference itself become the foundation of unity?

Sources:

'Raja Ravi Varma’s Galaxy of Musicians in 1889': By Dr. Julie Codell, Dr. Cristin McKnight Sethi, Published on 21 December 2022

'10 Iconic Works of Modern Indian Art — Galaxy of Musicians (1889): By The Economic Times, Published on 8 July 2018

They said losing her right hand would end her dreams But they didn’t know her strength ❤️

After a wrong injection changed her life forever Susmita had to relearn everything, from writing to working, using only her left hand

What could have broken her instead became the beginning of a new journey Today she runs her own beauty parlour styles clients with confidence and trains women to become financially independent proving that resilience can rebuild an entire life

Her story is not just about survival It’s about choosing courage every single day even when life changes without warning

Watch till the end You’ll never forget this journey 🎥

#WomenEntrepreneur #InspiringStories #WomenEmpowerment #FinancialIndependence #NeverGiveUp #IndiaInspires #BeautyEntrepreneur #DisabilityInclusion #Motivation #SelfMade #PositiveStories #WomenInBusiness #Resilience

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Disability Success Stories That Inspire
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This article is in partnership with the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India

In 2023, road crashes in India claimed a staggering 1.73 lakh lives and left 4.63 lakh people injured, with a total of 4,80,583 accidents reported. 

This marks a 2.6% percent increase in fatalities compared to 2022, underscoring the urgent need for action.

To put it into perspective, this translates to 474 lives lost every single day—a sobering reminder of the ongoing road safety crisis.

The Sadak Suraksha Abhiyan (Road Safety Campaign), a national initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India, aims to address this grim reality. More than just a public awareness campaign, it represents a concerted, collective effort to instil safer driving practices across India. The initiative encourages citizens to actively participate in building a culture of road safety, but it also recognises that the responsibility does not lie solely on the shoulders of individuals.

The government is taking comprehensive measures to ensure safer roads and enforcing pollution control mechanisms to digitise transport services for greater efficiency. The goal is to create a robust, interconnected system where road safety is integrated at every stage — from vehicle maintenance and road design to driver training and the enforcement of regulations. This holistic approach ensures that road safety isn’t just a legal obligation, but a shared commitment to saving lives and safeguarding the future of our nation. 

Initiatives such as the Black Spot Identification & Correction Programme, driver training institutes and Bharat NCAP further reinforce this ecosystem by enhancing infrastructure safety, phasing out unsafe vehicles, and promoting higher vehicle safety standards across the country.

This goal for safer roads is expressed in various schemes. One of these is the RahVeer Scheme. 

By recognising and incentivising citizens who assist road accident victims during the critical Golden Hour (the one hour immediately following a serious road accident), the scheme aims to overcome bystander hesitation. It encourages timely intervention that can save lives.

For those who step up, the reward is not just recognition but also a Rs 25,000 financial reward, along with a certificate of appreciation. If multiple RahVeers come together to help a single victim, the reward is shared equally. Each year, ten extraordinary RahVeers are selected for national recognition, receiving Rs 1,00,000, a trophy, and a certificate during National Road Safety Month events.

The RahVeer initiative is more than just a scheme — it’s a powerful call to action, encouraging citizens to respond with compassion, responsibility, and a sense of urgency in times of road emergencies. It seeks to foster a community of proactive individuals who understand that every second counts in saving lives and that each act of kindness can create a ripple effect of change.

A comprehensive approach to safer roads

Road accidents extend far beyond the immediate tragedy; their effects ripple through families, healthcare systems, and even the broader economy. As India’s Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has pointed out, the economic cost of road accidents is staggering, consuming nearly 3 percent of the nation’s GDP each year.

Recent data reveals a worrying trend: fatal road accidents increased from 1,55,781 in 2022 to 1,60,509 in 2023, accounting for 33.4 percent of all road accidents that year. These figures are compounded by delays in accessing timely medical treatment, as families and bystanders often face confusion about hospital admissions, treatment procedures, or the financial burden of emergency care.

In response, the PM RAHAT (Road Accident Victim Hospitalisation and Assured Treatment) Scheme is being introduced as a pivotal solution to mitigate the financial strain on victims and their families. This scheme will provide immediate cashless treatment for road accident victims, covering up to Rs 1.5 lakh for up to 7 days per individual. Importantly, no upfront payments will be required; instead, hospitals will directly settle the costs with the government or designated insurance agencies, providing a seamless experience during critical moments.

This initiative, however, is not just about post-accident care. It is part of a larger, multifaceted strategy to reduce road fatalities and injuries by improving vehicle safety standards, reinforcing the importance of prevention alongside care. 

Launched in 2023, Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) allows cars sold in India to be vetted, tested, and rated for crash safety performance through standardised frontal and side-impact tests, evaluating both adult and child occupant protection. 

Vehicles are assigned star ratings ranging from one to five, which are then publicised to guide consumer decision-making. Over time, the programme is expected to strengthen safety-led competition among manufacturers and increase public awareness about vehicle safety ratings.

Through these comprehensive programs, the government aims to demonstrate that road safety is not solely about enforcing laws and regulations, but about creating a culture of responsibility, mindfulness, and shared accountability. Every individual has a role to play in ensuring safer roads, whether it’s through adhering to traffic rules, driving with caution, or simply being aware of one’s surroundings. 

Road safety is a collective commitment that extends beyond the government’s efforts, requiring each citizen to make conscious choices every time they step onto the road. Only by working together can we build a safer, more responsible driving environment for everyone.

Sources

'Road Accidents in India 2023': by Ministry of Road Transport And Highways (Transport Research Wing), Government of India

'Road accident deaths rise to 1.77 lakh in 2024: Gadkari': by The Hindu, Published on 5 December 2025

'Rah-Veer: Save a Life Without Fear - Good Samaritan Protections Ensure You Don’t Need to Worry About Anything': by PIB Delhi, Published on 4 January 2026

Imagine walking down a crowded street in Mumbai, the usual noise of honking cars and people hurrying along. In the middle of it all, you spot something unexpected: a large, blank canvas standing tall on an easel. People stop. Some hesitate, unsure. Others step up, grab a brush, and begin. Children dash forward, eager to paint. Adults look around nervously, some apologising, others wondering if they’re allowed to join in.

This isn’t a pop-up exhibition or an art installation. It’s Open Easel, a public art experiment led by Zahir Mirza, a former advertising professional who, at 60, decided to take art out of galleries and into the streets of India. Zahir’s mission is simple: to invite complete strangers to paint, free from judgement or the pressure of perfection.

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“I wanted to create a space where people can paint first and worry about what it looks like later,” Zahir says. “It’s about giving them permission to create without the anxiety of being judged or compared.”

A former Ad man’s rebellion:

Zahir Mirza grew up in Mumbai, and his career was shaped in the world of advertising. For decades, he helped lead major campaigns for brands like Lifebuoy, ICICI Bank, and Kingfisher, crafting visual stories that reached millions of people. But after years of working in the fast-paced advertising world, Zahir began feeling disconnected from the very creativity that had once inspired him.

“The industry was all about performance. About selling. About doing art for an end goal, whether it was for a product or a brand,” Zahir recalls. “But I started wondering, ‘Is this really creativity? Or just something manufactured for the market?’”

At 60, Zahir made a life-changing decision: he stepped away from the corporate world to explore art in its most raw, unfiltered form. He didn’t want to create for brands anymore. He wanted to create for people. And so, Open Easel was born. Zahir began taking his easel to busy streets in Mumbai, Delhi, Surat, and even smaller towns like Nashik, setting up a canvas and inviting anyone passing by to pick up a brush and paint.

Breaking boundaries with public art:

Unlike a traditional gallery or art class, Open Easel is about bringing art directly to the public. Zahir sets up his easel in places where people are already gathered — in parks, near busy intersections, at markets, or outside popular cafés. The idea is simple: no art degrees required, no critique waiting — just an open space for people to express themselves.

At first, people are hesitant. They wonder, “Can I really paint?” Some apologise, saying they’re “not good at art.” But Zahir reassures them with a smile: “There’s no such thing as ‘bad’ art here. Just paint.”

Children run toward the easel without a second thought, eager to create. Adults, on the other hand, often stand back, unsure if they belong. Zahir understands why.

“Adults have been taught to fear imperfection,” he says. “They’ve been told what counts as art and what doesn’t. But who decides? Who says what’s enough? No one should.”

Zahir isn’t there to teach technique; he’s there to offer a space where people can forget about the rules and rediscover the joy of creating.

“I want to challenge the idea that art is only for those with social or cultural capital,” Zahir says. “Art is for everyone. It always has been.”

Art for anyone, anywhere 

For Zahir, the true impact of Open Easel isn’t about the paint on the canvas—it’s about the connections that happen when people let go of their fear of judgement.

One moment in Surat, for example, left a lasting impression on him. A woman from Assam, hesitant at first, began painting a river. Zahir asked her about it, and she spoke softly about the Brahmaputra, the river of her homeland.

“The Brahmaputra is our life,” she said, her voice soft but filled with meaning. As she painted, she began humming Bhupen Hazarika’s “Bistirno Dupare,” a song that connected her to her roots, to the river, to home.

“That moment really hit home for me,” Zahir says. “Art doesn’t just show what’s in front of us. It connects us to something deep inside. To memories, to places we carry with us, to emotions we don’t always have words for.”

Why adults hesitate

Zahir believes the hesitation adults feel when they face a blank canvas isn’t about skill but the pressure of modern life, where we’re taught that creativity must conform to certain standards. We’re told that art must be perfect, that it must perform in some way. Zahir’s mission is to undo that conditioning.

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“Adults come up to the canvas and ask for permission to paint,” Zahir notes. “They apologise for not being ‘good enough.’ But that’s exactly what I want to change. Creativity doesn’t have to be perfect; it’s about expression.”

In contrast, children approach the canvas with excitement and freedom. “They paint for the joy of it,” Zahir says. “They paint because they can.”

Art without pressure to perform 

In every brushstroke, Zahir sees a challenge to today’s performance-driven world. In an age where creativity is often turned into content for social media, Zahir’s mission is to give people the space to create for themselves, without thinking about likes, shares, or validation.

“You don’t need to turn art into content,” he says. “Sometimes, it’s just about letting go and expressing yourself.”

What’s next?

Zahir’s dream is simple: to see Open Easel spread across every city in India. He wants public easels in every park, every street corner, every busy market, where people of all backgrounds—young and old—can come together, pick up a brush, and express themselves.

“There’s so much power in a single brushstroke,” he says. “If we all remember that, maybe we can stop performing and start creating again.”

All images courtesy Zahir Mirza

Originally reported and written in March 2023, this story has been republished as part of our archival content.

In a major loss for Indian civil society, Periyapatna Venkatasubbaiah Satheesh, the ‘Millet Man of Telangana’, founder and executive director of the Deccan Development Society (DDS), passed away in the early hours of 19 March 2023 following a prolonged illness. PV Satheesh was undergoing treatment at a major hospital in Hyderabad before passing away at age 77. 

On the following morning, his last rites were performed in Pastapur village of Sangareddy district (formerly a part of Medak district), in the Zaheerabad region of Telangana. It was back in the early 1980s when Satheesh, along with a couple of friends, broke away from mainstream media to establish DDS in Zaheerabad, a semi-arid region in rural Telangana.  

As founder of DDS, he played a pivotal role in improving the livelihoods of thousands of women who were largely from Dalit and adivasi communities across 75 villages in Telangana. Collectivising these women into ‘sanghams’, the DDS organised a range of programmes challenging hunger, malnutrition and monoculture, and promoting biodiversity, gender justice and economic security.

Underpinning these programmes was a revival of millets, particularly white jowar (Sorghum), native to the region, that can sustainably grow in semi-arid conditions and offer better health benefits than more ‘commercial’ crops like rice, wheat and sugarcane. Satheesh led the internationally-renowned non-profit organisation for more than four decades. 

Over time, he also led and actively participated in several national and international advocacy organisations like Millet Network of India (MINI), South Against Genetic Engineering (SAGE), AP Coalition in Defence of Diversity and South Asian Network for Food, Ecology and Culture (SANFEC) to promote sustainable farming, livelihoods, biodiversity, and of course, millets.                    

For example, through MINI, an umbrella organisation of activists, scientists and non-governmental organisations, he successfully pushed the Union government to implement the National Food Security Act, 2013, and include millets in the public distribution system (PDS). His work has gone on to inspire similar initiatives in millet revival and promotion across India. 

Going one step further, he is also credited with starting India’s first Community Media Trust, a grassroots organisation where poor and marginalised Dalit women received training in filmmaking in a bid to facilitate their representation in the Indian media landscape, and even launched India’s first rural and civil society-led community radio station called Sangham Radio. 

Satheesh also established the Pachha Saale (‘Permaculture School’), where he inspired the youth with an alternative model of education and serious conversations about their socio-economic realities. Products of this school have today become community leaders. 

 

Giving young media talent their first break

Born on 18 June 1945 in Mysuru, PV Satheesh graduated from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi, and started his career as a journalist. For nearly two decades, he was a pioneering television producer for the state-run Doordarshan, where he often made programmes promoting rural development and literacy in erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh.   

Through his time in mainstream media, Satheesh helped many young talents get their first break including Harsha Bhogle, the well-regarded cricket commentator and analyst. He credits Satheesh with giving him his first major break in the media. 

As he notes in his Twitter thread, “He allowed me to host preview programmes & my work on DD (& AIR) made my CV a little more interesting during my IIM interviews. Somebody in Delhi heard me on that game and I got an ODI in Vadodara later that year against the West Indies and then my 1st test match in December 1984.” Bhogle goes on to add, “I will always be deeply grateful to PV Satheesh for setting me up on the path that I was able to navigate.”   

Satheesh also played a key role in the historical Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE). Launched in 1975, this was an experimental satellite communications project designed together by NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Between 1 August 1975 and 31 July 1976, the project was responsible for making informational television programs available to rural India. The experiment covered 2,400 villages across six states, and led to an increased focus on satellite broadcasting in India. 

Deccan Development Society (DDS)

In a conversation with Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation in June 2020, Satheesh recalled,  “Thirty-five years ago, when we came to this place as DDS, this region called Zaheerabad looked devastated. There was no greenery anywhere in the vicinity of 100 kms.” 

“To address this, the first set of initiatives that the DDS took was to restore the land to some modicum of productivity. Tend the earth, erase the scars that made earth scorched and restore the fertility of the earth. To make this, we worked for almost 10 years by de-stoning, adding top soil, bringing in natural manure and making the earth habitable and cultivable again,” he added.

What did this process look like? In a June 1999 paper published in Seedling, which he authored alongside M Pimbert, he presented an interesting explanation. 

Meetings were initially held in each of these villages with project partners, the DDS and the village poor who came forward to implement the project on their lands. The required money was advanced over a three-year period to the farmers to cover costs of ploughing, manuring, sowing and weeding. This money was later repaid in the form of grain grown on the newly developed lands. Rs 2,600 per acre was advanced and repayment was set at 860 kg of sorghum per acre over a five-year period. After every modality was explained, negotiated and agreed to, formal agreements were drawn up and a contract signed between the individual farmers and the DDS.

Once this was done, villagers started planting crops. Around this time, 5,000 women had joined the DDS. “These were women who were coming from the margins of society, socio-economically the most deprived people but they had the courage to face the challenge and rewrite their future. With this courage, they said that we will re-green the earth. They started planting many kinds of crops on the land,” said Satheesh, speaking to the Foundation.  

“When the time came for raising crops on this land, the women made some fantastic choices. For one, because of the extreme dryness of this semi-arid area, they did not go for any irrigated crop. Everything had to be dryland, rainfed agriculture,” he added.

More importantly, they didn’t go with monoculture. “They thought that biodiversity is the answer to make the soil healthier and responsive again...They planted more than 20 to 25 crops per acre of land and these 25 crops formed the rainbow of the food that they ate,” he said.

However, these women didn’t stop here. “Each village had something like 50, 100, 200 acres of land which were called Village Commons. Most of these Village Commons were dry, dusty and bald. The women said we must plant and completely change the shape of these Commons. In tune with this resolve, they raised neighbourhood forests and all these village commons and millions of trees were planted over a period of ten years,” he recalled. 

Today, a variety of neighbourhood forests have come into existence and “they bring the women not only fruit, fodder, fuelwood and small timber, but also a lot of greenery that will allow the land to absorb rain and keep it unthirsty,” he added. With neighbourhood forests blooming, and croplands yielding to their maximum potential, life had changed for these women. 

What’s particularly remarkable about these initiatives is their decentralised, people-centric and indigenous nature. Groups of Dalit women members called sanghams in each village form the cornerstone of these initiatives. For example, these villages created their own alternative PDS system called the community grain fund (CGF), whereby each resident is issued a ‘jowar ration card’. This card entitles them to a monthly allowance of jowar (sorghum) at subsidised prices. 

“This is an innovative programme where food grain production, procurement, storage and distribution are done at the local community (village) level and are entirely managed by the women sangham members. Another innovation of the programme is the identification of poor households within the community through a process of participatory wealth ranking that overcomes problems of exclusion/inclusion so pervasive in government run PDS,” notes a 2004 paper by Ch. Srinivas and S Abul Thaha for Glocal Research and Consultancy Services. 

 

Sanghams run by women in each village are responsible for running the CGF, where proceeds from the sale of crops is deposited. These groups are accountable to villagers and DDS. 

“Transparent procedures ensure that all the proceeds from the sale of the grain are deposited in the CGF account. The money is used as a revolving fund from year to year to reclaim more fallows [fallow land] in the villages,” explained Satheesh and Pimbert in their paper.  

To store the grains, meanwhile, they’ve used baskets made from date palm leaves and “reeds with insect-repellent qualities” by local weavers. These baskets are “smeared with mud and cow dung and then dried.” To ensure further protection against pests, “the grain is mixed inside the baskets with neem leaves (a natural pesticide) and cow dung ash,” noted the Seedling paper. 

Going further, to address food insecurity, the women farmers organised under DDS set up seed banks where they collect and store many varieties native seeds. Take the example of Begari Lakshmamma, a farmer, single mother and member of the Dalit community in Humanpur village of Telangana, who runs a seed bank with about 70 varieties. Set up in the early 1990s with assistance from DDS, no farmer in her village today buys seeds from seed companies.  

 

Today, these villages celebrate Mobile Biodiversity Festival (MBF) to celebrate seed diversity. 

Addressing a MBF gathering earlier this year, Satheesh said, “The MBF began as a small-scale event with two carts in a village. Over the last two decades, it has grown to 16 carts and 25 villages with the initiative of Sangham women. Every year, the rate of biodiversity loss in native seed varieties is rising rapidly. This has dire consequences for our food security in the upcoming era of climate change. Over the last 3 decades, DDS sanghams have saved Zaheerabad as one of the last standing agro-biodiversity hotspots in Telangana, especially for millets.”

Furthering the cause of economic security, Satheesh and DDS set up the sangham market or ‘Market of the Walkouts’ which farmer producer organisations (FPOs) can take inspiration from. 

Kavitha Kuruganti, a farm activist, in an article for The India Cable, wrote, “This is about protecting poor producers who also get exploited as consumers, by the creation of rural-rural markets to begin with, the surpluses then being sold to urban markets. The Millets Cafe on the Hyderabad-Bombay Highway was the first of its kind, popularising millets with everyone.”

 

Advocating for millets

In June 2019. DDS was selected for the Equator Prize for 2019 by the United Nations for setting “an outstanding example of local, nature-based solutions to climate change and sustainable development.” For years prior to this award, however, they’ve been advocating the growing and consumption of millets. Once seen as food only fit for animals, today they are in much demand.  

A major impetus for their rising popularity has been the National Food Security Act of 2013, which recently added millet to the basket of foods to be distributed through the public distribution system (PDS). In addition, the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Price has also fixed a high Minimum Support Price (MSP) for millets. And now, States are taking action.      

As of January 2023, Telangana is taking steps to include millets to their integrated child development services (ICDS). Meanwhile, neighbouring Andhra Pradesh is contemplating introducing millets through the Public Distribution System (PDS) on the lines of rice from this year, which is being celebrated as the year of millets. Many have contributed to the positive discourse surrounding millets, but Satheesh played an integral part. 

For example, in September 2016, as convenor of Millets Network of India (MINI), he launched a nation-wide campaign to push the Union government into implementing the National Food Security Act, 2013, and include millets in public distribution system (PDS). The campaign was conducted at village, block, state and national level to “create a mass awareness and momentum from the communities in fighting for the cause of millets,” he said. 

 

Social activist Biraj Patnaik said on Twitter, “PV Satheesh was a doyen in the field of millets in India. Deccan Development Society pioneered the reintroduction of millets in public programs. A mentor for many of us working on the right to food, Satheesh worked relentlessly till the end.”

Meanwhile, Ashish Kothari, an Indian environmentalist and one of the founders of Kalpavriksh, said, “He was a true revolutionary, believing in the agency of the most oppressed section of Indian society to create magical transformations towards food sovereignty, media independence, gender equality and a challenge to casteism, amongst other achievements.”

(Edited by Divya Sethu; Images courtesy Twitter/Kalpavriksh/DDS)

Sources:

'Conversation with PV SATHEESH - Director, Deccan Development Society' by Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation

'Reclaiming Diversity, Restoring Livelihoods by Women Sanghams of the Deccan Development Society' by PV Satheesh and M Pimbert; Published on 20 June 1999 courtesy Seedling 

Twitter/Harsha Bhogle/Biraj Patnaik

'Begari Lakshmamma' by Civil Society; Updated on 24 September 2019

'Biodiversity festival held in Zaheerabad' by The Hindu Bureau; Published on 24 January 2023

'Millets should be in PDS, Says Lobby'; Published on 22 September 2016 courtesy Vikalp Sangam

'A revolutionary passes on: PV Satheesh' by Ashish Kothari; Published on 19 March 2023 courtesy Asish Kothari/Blogspot

'Obituary: PV Satheesh, who helped women reinvent self-sustained agri, passes away' by KV Kurmanath; Published in 19 March 2023 courtesy The Hindu BusinessLine 

'P.V. Satheesh, the Original Millets Man of India' by Kavitha Kuruganti; Published courtesy The India Cable

'A Study on Alternative Public Distribution System: A Novel Initiative of Deccan Development Society' by Ch. Srinivas & S. Abdul Thaha; Published by Glocal Research and Consultancy Services, Hyderabad 

When 71-year-old Ashok Bahar walked out of his NEET UG 2026 examination centre in Lucknow on 3 May, he looked unlike most candidates around him.

Dressed in a simple kurta-pyjama and carrying a water bottle along with his question paper, Bahar quietly made his way through crowds of students discussing chemistry answers and expected cut-offs. 

Soon, videos and photographs of the elderly aspirant began circulating online, with many people wondering what had brought a man in his seventies to one of India’s most competitive entrance examinations.

The answer, it turned out, had very little to do with career ambition. For Bahar, NEET was connected to a promise he had carried for decades.

A dream deferred by life

According to reports, Ashok Bahar is a resident of Chandernagar in Alambagh, Uttar Pradesh. Before retirement, he reportedly worked as a marketing head at Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited and later served with the Ministry of External Affairs. He retired in 2000.

By most conventional standards, Bahar had already lived a successful professional life. He studied at the University of Lucknow and holds both LLB and MBA degrees. Yet despite his accomplishments, one aspiration continued to remain unfinished.

Bahar reportedly promised his mother years ago that he would become a doctor like his father. Coming from a family with nearly 20 doctors, medicine had always been closely woven into his personal history.

But like many people of his generation, Bahar’s younger years were shaped more by practical responsibilities than individual dreams. 

Careers were often chosen for stability, family needs took precedence and ambitions were quietly postponed. Somewhere along the way, the possibility of studying medicine faded into the background.

Still, it never disappeared completely.

Years after retirement, Bahar decided to return to the dream he had left behind decades ago. With support from his wife, Dr Manjul Bahar, a gynaecologist who helped him prepare, he began studying for NEET UG 2026 alongside students young enough to be his grandchildren.

According to reports, Bahar hoped to eventually specialise in hepatology and contribute towards treating liver diseases, which he believed were becoming increasingly widespread.

More than just another NEET story

Every year, India’s competitive exam culture produces its own familiar headlines. Teen toppers, coaching centre success stories and tales of relentless preparation dominate conversations around NEET.

Bahar’s journey felt different.

There was no sense of urgency attached to age or career milestones. No attempt to “prove people wrong”. Instead, his story resonated because it reflected something deeply human: the quiet persistence of unfinished dreams.

Almost everyone carries an ambition they once set aside because life demanded something else. For some, it is art or music. For others, it is education, travel or a profession they never got to pursue. Over time, many people learn to live around those abandoned aspirations until they become stories that begin with, “I once wanted to…”

For Bahar, that unfinished sentence led him back to an examination hall at 71.

That emotional honesty is perhaps why his story struck such a chord online. Social media users were not simply reacting to his age. They were responding to the idea that even after retirement and an entire professional life, someone could still feel pulled towards a dream they had never fully let go of.

Then came the NEET paper leak

Just days after the examination, however, allegations of a paper leak and irregularities triggered outrage across the country.

Reports claimed that an MBBS student from Rajasthan’s Sikar allegedly received a PDF file containing a “guess paper” before the exam and forwarded it further. Teachers later reportedly found that several chemistry and biology questions closely matched the actual NEET UG 2026 paper.

As complaints mounted, the National Testing Agency reportedly involved investigative agencies, including Rajasthan’s Special Operations Group and the Intelligence Bureau. Soon afterwards, the examination was cancelled, with fresh dates for the re-exam expected to be announced separately.

The controversy left lakhs of students and parents across India disappointed and anxious, especially aspirants who had spent months and years preparing honestly for one of the country’s toughest exams.

For Bahar, too, what should have been a significant personal milestone suddenly became uncertain.

The road ahead

At 71, Ashok Bahar’s journey is not simply about NEET. It is about the dreams people postpone, the promises they continue to carry and the quiet courage it takes to return to something life once interrupted.

And while the future of NEET UG 2026 remains uncertain for thousands of students across the country, Bahar’s long-term plan has remained remarkably clear. 

According to reports, he still hopes to study medicine, specialise in hepatology and dedicate himself to treating liver diseases, a field he believes needs greater attention in India.

Above that, even amid the larger anger surrounding the leak row, his story continues to stay with people because it represented something beyond the examination itself.

At 71, Ashok Bahar’s journey is not simply about NEET. It is about the dreams people postpone, the promises they continue to carry and the quiet courage it takes to return to something life once interrupted.

Sources:

‘Who is Ashok Bahar? The 71-year-old who appeared for NEET to fulfil a promise to his mother, only for 2026 paper leak to change everything’: by The Economic Times, Published on 13 May, 2026.

‘Meet Ashok Bahar: 71-year-old UP man whose dream of clearing NEET 2026 was shattered by a paper leak’: by Times of India, Published on 13 May, 2026.

For years, millions of women have known the condition as PCOS or PCOD — terms often associated with irregular periods, hormonal imbalance, acne, weight gain and fertility concerns. Now, there has been a major shift in how the condition is understood and described.

PCOS, or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, is now renamed as PMOS: Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome. The change aims to reflect what doctors and researchers have increasingly recognised over the years — that the condition is not just about ovarian cysts, but a complex whole-body hormonal and metabolic disorder.

To understand what this change means for patients, diagnosis and long-term care, we spoke to Dr Yash Bahuguna, MBBS, MS, DNB, a gynaecologist at Pinky Promise. 

With over six years of clinical experience across institutions, he specialises in hormonal health and PCOS/PMOS care.

Excerpts from the interview:

1. There has been a shift from PCOD/PCOS to PMOS. What exactly has changed, and why?

The condition earlier called PCOS is now being renamed PMOS.

The change is important because the older name over-focused on “cysts” and ovaries, while the condition is actually a broader hormonal, metabolic and reproductive health disorder.

PMOS affects weight, metabolism, mental health, skin and reproductive health. The older name also contributed to missed diagnoses and inadequate treatment in many cases.

2. What do PCOD, PCOS and PMOS mean? Are PCOS and PCOD invalid now?

PCOD usually stands for Polycystic Ovarian Disease. It is an older, commonly used term in India, but medically, PCOS has been the more accepted term.

PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. This has been the standard medical term for decades.

PMOS stands for Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome. This is the newer term proposed to better describe the condition.

PCOS and PCOD are not becoming “invalid” overnight. Patients, doctors, hospitals and insurance systems will continue using them during the transition. However, medically, PMOS is considered more accurate because it reflects the condition’s whole-body impact.

3. Is PMOS now medically accepted globally?

PMOS has been announced through a major global effort led by Monash University and published in The Lancet.

The process reportedly involved 14 years of work, more than 22,000 survey responses, and 56 patient and professional organisations.

Full implementation is expected through a three-year transition, with the updated international guideline expected in 2028.

So yes, this marks a significant international shift, though adoption across doctors, countries, coding systems and insurance systems will take time.

4. Why is the older terminology inaccurate?

Most people with this condition do not actually have ovarian cysts.

What is often seen on ultrasound are small, immature follicles, not abnormal cysts. In addition, some patients may not have classic irregular periods or other “typical” symptoms.

The older terminology made the condition appear ovarian-specific, when in reality it is driven by complex endocrine and metabolic dysfunction.

5. Does the name change alter diagnosis or treatment?

Not immediately.

The name has changed, but diagnosis and treatment still follow established clinical guidelines. The 2023 international guideline continues to use features such as ovulatory dysfunction, clinical or biochemical hyperandrogenism, and ovarian morphology or AMH levels where appropriate.

Treatment also remains personalised. This may include lifestyle changes, menstrual regulation, acne and hair-growth management, insulin-resistance management, fertility support where needed, and long-term metabolic risk reduction.

6. Why does this name change matter medically?

Names shape how doctors think.

If the name says ‘cysts,’ care becomes ultrasound-focused. If the name says ‘metabolic’ and ‘endocrine,’ doctors are more likely to screen for insulin resistance, weight changes, diabetes risk, mental health concerns and long-term cardiovascular risk.

So this is not merely cosmetic. It can change clinical behaviour.

7. How can someone know they may have PMOS?

PMOS may show up as:

• Irregular or delayed periods

• Acne

• Excess facial or body hair

• Scalp hair thinning

• Weight gain or difficulty losing weight

• Darkened skin folds

• Sugar cravings or fatigue

• Mood changes, anxiety or depression

• Difficulty conceiving

• High insulin or abnormal glucose markers

Not every patient experiences every symptom, which is why clinical evaluation is important.

8. What are the biggest myths around PCOD/PMOS?

According to Dr Bahuguna, some of the biggest myths are:

• “Everyone with PCOS has cysts.” — Not true.

• “You must be overweight to have it.” — Not true. Lean patients can also have it.

• “It only affects fertility.” — Not true. It affects metabolic and long-term health too.

• “Birth control pills cure it.” — They may control symptoms, but they do not cure the underlying tendency.

• “You cannot get pregnant with PCOS/PMOS.” — Many women conceive naturally or with treatment.

9. What are the earliest signs teenagers and young adults should watch for?

Some early signs include:

• Irregular periods for more than two to three years post menarche or missing your period for more than 3 months without pregnancy.

• Severe acne not responding to routine care

• Excess facial hair

• Sudden weight gain

• Dark pigmentation around the neck or underarms

• Hair thinning

• Mood swings linked to cycle issues

• Strong family history of PCOS, diabetes or metabolic disease

However, teenagers should avoid self-diagnosis. Careful medical assessment is important because normal puberty can sometimes mimic PMOS symptoms.

10. Is PMOS mainly caused by lifestyle, or is it genetic and hormonal?

PMOS is not simply a “lifestyle disease”.

It has strong hormonal, metabolic and genetic influences. Lifestyle factors can worsen or improve symptoms, but they are not the sole cause.

Many patients have insulin resistance, androgen excess or a family history of metabolic conditions. Food, sleep, stress, physical activity and weight changes may influence severity, but they do not fully explain the condition.

11. What are the long-term risks if PMOS is ignored?

Untreated PMOS may increase the risk of:

• Type 2 diabetes

• Heart disease

• High cholesterol

• Fatty liver disease

• High blood pressure

• Infertility or ovulation problems

• Endometrial hyperplasia in those with long gaps between periods

• Anxiety, depression and body-image distress

• Pregnancy complications

“This is why long-term care matters, not just period regulation,” Dr Bahuguna explains.

12. What genuinely helps in managing PMOS?

According to Dr Bahuguna, the most effective approach is comprehensive and personalised care, including:

• Balanced, protein- and fibre-rich meals

• Regular strength training and movement

• Good sleep and stress management

• Weight management where relevant

• Screening for insulin resistance, lipid levels and diabetes risk

• Medical treatment for irregular cycles, acne, excess hair growth or fertility concerns

• Metformin or other insulin-sensitising support where clinically indicated

• Mental health support

• Long-term follow-up instead of one-time prescriptions

“The key message is that PMOS is manageable, but it requires whole-body care,” he says.

The bigger shift behind the new name

The move from PCOS to PMOS is more than a terminology update. It reflects a broader understanding of a condition that affects far more than reproductive health alone.

By shifting focus from “cysts” to metabolism, hormones and long-term health, experts hope the new terminology will encourage earlier diagnosis, more comprehensive treatment and greater awareness about the condition’s impact on both physical and mental well-being.

For patients, the message is reassuring: while the name may be changing, the goal remains the same — better understanding, better care and better long-term health outcomes.

“I almost avoided the question But one honest conversation with my son changed everything” ❤️

Today Suman Bisht says her son understands care empathy and kindness in ways many of us never learned growing up

Because maybe children don’t need perfect parents Maybe they simply need safe spaces where nothing feels too shameful scary or uncomfortable to talk about

From teaching boys about periods to encouraging emotional awareness these small honest conversations at home can quietly break generations of silence and raise kinder more compassionate humans for the future

Sometimes parenting isn’t about having all the answers It’s about creating trust strong enough for every question ❤️

#ParentingWithEmpathy #HonestParenting #RaisingKindBoys #MothersDay #BreakingGenerationalCycles #IndiaInspires #Parenting #EmotionalAwareness #PositiveParenting #EmpathyMatters #ModernParenting #SafeSpaces #InspiringStories

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How Honest Parenting Builds Empathy
Teaching Boys Emotional Awareness
Parenting Conversations That Matter
Breaking Generational Trauma Through Parenting
Raising Kinder Children in Modern India

Originally reported and written in May 2022, this story has been republished as part of our archival content. 

For Kumar BS and Deepika V, based out of Bengaluru and software engineers by profession, despite living in the metropolitan city where skyscrapers rise tall, a mud house held a different kind of fascination.

Speaking to The Better India, Kumar says, “We were never interested in living in a contemporary house. We were always inspired by our ancestors’ home and decided to build our eco-friendly home with mud and stone.”

A sustainable plot in a city of high rises

Once set on the idea of a sustainable home, the duo went headlong into researching various ways to make the plot greener. In the process, they learned about the importance of using eco-friendly materials, and how it could go a long way in reducing the carbon footprint they left behind on the Earth.

Wishing to perfect the home, they reached out to architects who specialised in this area of construction. “Under the guidance of acclaimed architect Sathya Prakash Varanashi — the man behind ‘Sathya Consultants’ which has been practising eco-friendly and cost-effective architecture for the past 28 years now — we were briefed about the materials that would be needed. Once certain about it, we began the execution with labourers. Despite having no background in the area of civil construction, we undertook the task and today can proudly say that there is so much that we have learned,” notes Kumar.

Taking viewers through a visual journey of the home, Kumar explains its various aspects.

As you enter the home, a whiff of mitti will greet you. The duo has gone to the very basics and employed the use of mud to build the walls. They have used stones for the roof and foundation and lime for plastering walls.

They have also used oxide flooring as it is an ideal fit for warmer climes and makes the house equipped to deal with rising temperatures, such as those that the city is experiencing.

Going through the living room, you will see how cement blocks have been replaced with mud blocks in the architecture. Beautiful terracotta hanging lights take the aesthetic of the home up a notch.

While you marvel at the roof, the ground too has been laid keeping the sustainable angle in mind. Chapadi stones have been used for a stepped footing foundation and also in parts of the walls to enhance the natural look and feel of the home.

Other alternatives of natural tiles, such as Kadapa, Shahabad, Kota, and slate have also been used in the flooring plan. These durable flooring tiles prove to be weather-resistant and are easy to maintain.

You will notice something different in the layout. In contrast to the modern-day ‘pillar construction’, the sustainable home has a load-bearing structure. This architectural style involves the use of more economical materials; along with being simple and highly solid.

There are French windows that let the air circulate, and provide room for cross ventilation throughout the day. The courtyard is situated in the east-facing direction with tall glass ventilation.

The windows are further supplied with natural handmade Korai grass rollers. These have a special characteristic of not absorbing heat despite the surrounding temperature says Kumar, and thus make for great alternatives to usual panes.

Take a minute to admire the decor that has been made with recycled pine wood. This includes the doors, furniture, etc. “This has reduced the cost of the interior by 50 per cent,” remarks Kumar.

Take the stairs which have been built with thick granite stone in contrast to the customary concrete. The restroom, too, has been constructed with slate stone while the kitchen has wall cladding.

As you step out onto the roof, you will notice that the construction sees a filler slab in an attempt to reduce the use of reinforced cement concrete. In addition, Mangalore tiles are a beautiful addition.

Almost 90 per cent of the home has exposed walls without plastering and pointing.

Along with a solar water heater, the family has also set up a rainwater harvesting system that harvests 10,000 litres which fulfils the needs of four people for three months. “This rainwater harvesting setup without individual bore well reduces the water bill by 40 per cent per year,” says Kumar.

On the terrace, the sustainable approach continues. The family believes in compost preparation and uses this technique to grow their plants and vegetables.

Their terrace garden is abundant in seasonal produce.

The family also has a natural dish wash system that they have set up.

The duo began constructing the house in July 2019 and completed the 2600 square feet marvel by January 2021. Due to the uniqueness of the construction, there were trained labourers who were a part of this.

Summers in Bengaluru tend to get extreme. Will the sustainable home hold out during this period?

“Yes,” notes Kumar. “The house is self-regulated and is breathable. It is warmer in winter and cooler in summer by 2-3 degrees.”

“Everyone should understand the importance of what we leave behind for our future generations,” he says. “We need to make changes to the way we live and use the resources available to us. We need to concentrate more on reusing or recycling in our daily lives.”

Edited by Yoshita Rao

What if school weren’t just about report cards, ranks and racing through textbooks?

What if classrooms gave children the freedom to ask strange questions, learn at their own pace, build things with their hands, make music, grow food, vote on decisions, or even paint what a melody feels like?

Across India, a quiet shift in education has been taking shape for years. Alternative schools,  often inspired by philosophies like Waldorf, Steiner and integral education, are challenging the idea that learning must look the same for every child.

Instead of focusing only on exams and academic performance, these schools place equal importance on creativity, emotional intelligence, curiosity, collaboration and self-discovery.

For parents, it offers an education system that sees children as individuals rather than numbers. For teachers, it creates room to teach beyond rigid lesson plans. And for children, it can mean learning environments designed to reduce academic pressure and encourage exploration. 

From classrooms without conventional exams to schools where art and gardening are as important as math and science, these institutions are exploring approaches that move beyond exam-focused learning. Here are six alternative schools in India that are doing things differently.

1. Where children learn without rigid grade structures 

At this New Delhi school, children learn in multi-age classrooms without the pressure of standardised grades or early examinations .

Founded on the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo’s integral education, Mirambika Free Progress school believes that learning should unfold naturally and differently for every child. Instead of rigid classroom structures, students learn in multi-age environments where curiosity often leads the way.

The school focuses on emotional, physical, intellectual and creative development together, rather than treating academics as the only measure of success. 

Formal examinations are largely avoided in the early years, allowing students to explore subjects without the pressure of marks constantly looming over them.

The approach places emphasis on self-paced learning and holistic development rather than academic performance alone. 

2. Blending academics with art, movement and hands-on learning 

At Aarambh Waldorf School in Vasant Kunj, learning is designed to engage the ‘head, heart and hands’.

Built around the Waldorf philosophy of education, the school believes that how and when a child learns is just as important as what they learn. Academic concepts are woven together with art, movement, storytelling, music and practical activities to make learning more immersive and meaningful.

The curriculum is designed around sensory and experiential learning, where concepts are taught through movement, storytelling, music and practical activities.

Alongside academics, students are encouraged to develop empathy, social responsibility and strong moral values. Physical activity and artistic expression are integrated into everyday learning alongside academics. 

3. Using music, craft and gardening to make learning more experiential 

At Tridha Waldorf School in Mumbai, the classroom experience looks very different from the high-pressure learning environments many students grow up with.

Inspired by Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy, the school follows a human-centred approach to education that moves away from rote learning and endless memorisation. Instead of focusing only on textbooks and tests, subjects like music, art and craft are integrated into science, mathematics and language learning.

The school’s approach encourages students to engage with concepts through creative and hands-on methods. 

Hands-on activities like woodworking, gardening, textile art and music form an important part of the curriculum, helping students build both imagination and practical skills. The school also maintains a secular, co-educational and non-selective environment, values that are central to the Steiner philosophy.

While students eventually prepare for the internationally recognised IGCSE examinations, the learning process leading up to these examinations is structured around creative and experiential learning practices. 

4. Encouraging student participation and self-directed learning 

What if education was built around the idea that every child learns differently?

That question lies at the heart of Shishuvan School in Mumbai.

The school challenges the ‘one size fits all’ approach that often dominates mainstream education. Instead, it focuses on recognising each child’s unique learning style, curiosity and pace.

At Shishuvan, students are encouraged to question, explore and participate actively in shaping their learning experiences. Creativity, critical thinking and emotional development are considered just as important as academic performance.

One of the most interesting aspects of the school is its emphasis on democracy and student participation. Children are actively involved in decision-making processes and are encouraged to voice opinions, vote and engage with ideas collectively.

The process is designed to help students participate actively in decision-making and collaborative learning. 

The school also consciously maintains a diverse student community with children from different socio-economic backgrounds, creating an environment where inclusion and social awareness become part of everyday learning.

5. Using art, music and self-learning as part of everyday education 

In Auroville’s Isai Ambalam School, creativity and artistic expression are integrated into the learning process across subjects. 

Started for local communities around Auroville, the school was created to rethink education for children who often fell through the cracks of conventional systems, including many who had dropped out of other schools.

The name ‘Isai Ambalam’ translates to ‘Hall of Harmony’, and that spirit reflects strongly in its classrooms.

Inspired by Sri Aurobindo’s principles of education, the school places emphasis on joy, freedom, self-learning and ownership of learning. Students are encouraged to discover concepts through experience rather than simply memorising information.

One exercise reportedly asks kindergarten students to listen to music and draw the shapes, colours and patterns they feel while hearing it — an activity designed to encourage sensory learning and creative expression. 

The school also hosts workshops and learning sessions with visitors from different disciplines and countries. Separate learning programmes are designed for students to help nurture their individual strengths and interests.

6. Focusing on rural, child-centred education and flexible learning 

Founded in 1978 near Jaipur, Digantar School, has worked on child-centred and rural education for decades. 

The organisation’s teaching philosophy recognises that every child learns differently and at their own pace. Instead of forcing uniform learning timelines, teachers focus on giving students individual attention and flexible learning goals.

Its classrooms prioritise participation, flexibility and conceptual understanding over competition-driven learning. 

Apart from running schools, Digantar also works extensively on teacher training, curriculum development and educational workshops through initiatives like Shiksha Samarthan and the Centre for Teacher Knowledge.

Alternative schools may not be the perfect answer for every child or every family, but they do raise an important question: should education only prepare children for exams, or should it prepare them for life too?

As conversations around mental health, creativity, emotional well-being and personalised learning continue to grow, these schools are showing that classrooms can also prioritise creativity, emotional well-being and collaborative learning alongside academics. And perhaps, in a world changing faster than ever, that kind of learning matters more than ever before.

Sources: 

‘From Mirambika to Tridha: 10 Indian schools that offer alternative learning’ by Anjali Mittal for The Times Of India, Published on 20 June 2025.

‘A Complete List Of The Best Alternative Schools In Delhi-NCR (Updated 2025)’ by Parul Gupta for Kids Stop Press, Published on 2 July 2025.

‘Take A Look At Some Of India's Most Interesting Alternative Schooling Systems’ by Aditi Dharamadhikari for Homegrown, Published on 8 June 2021.

Dr Pritpal Kaur Batra became far more than a police officer in Tuensang ❤️

Beyond her official duties she offered free UPSC coaching counseled drug addicts and helped people build livelihoods through skills like organic farming proving that leadership is not just about authority but about creating opportunity

Through initiatives like “Not Guns But Machines” she inspired hope reduced drug related crime and empowered communities to rebuild their future with dignity and purpose

Her impact was so deep that locals gave her the title “Themshao Lam” a protector and leader who transformed lives through compassion

Because sometimes the strongest change doesn’t come from power alone It comes from choosing humanity first

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Who Is Dr Pritpal Kaur Batra
IPS Officers Creating Social Change India
Inspiring Leadership Stories in Nagaland
Women IPS Officer Impact Stories
Community Empowerment Initiatives India

From Bollywood sets to the streets of Delhi, Vinay Sharma is proving that every child has the Right to Dance.

What started as a passion project for this former Assistant Director has grown into a movement across 20 slum communities. To date, over 4,000 children have found their rhythm, with hundreds now earning a living as professional dancers and teachers. Some have even graced the stage of India’s Got Talent, proving Vinay’s core belief: these kids don't need sympathy—they just need a chance.

Loved the video? Stay tuned for more in #ForceForGoodHeroes, an extraordinary series on India’s unsung heroes that will inspire you to believe in the power of change!
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In partnership with @adityabirlagroup

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It is 4 am in Jungle Mahal village, and the lane outside Ghanshyam Maurya’s house is still dark. The 52-year-old has already left, pushing a wooden handcart with a huge water tank on it.

Inside, his wife, Shashi Lata, is lighting the stove. By the time the roti goes on the griddle, her husband will have crossed several kilometres, stopping at every junction where he has placed earthen pots for labourers, travellers, patients, and passers-by.

At each stop, he lifts the lid, empties the previous day’s water, and pours fresh drinking water in. At some places, he leaves two or three pots. At others, he places a thin cotton towel, a pair of slippers, and sometimes biscuits or sweets beside them.

The towel is for the heat. The slippers are for those he has seen walking barefoot. The biscuits and sweets are a small kindness for people who begin their day with hard labour and little else.

Across the tribal belt around Ahraura in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur, Ghanshyam and Shashi Lata are loved as the couple who carry clean water. Every summer, for four months, they place earthen pots at busy junctions, outside the market, near the bus stop, at the government hospital, and in areas where labourers gather before work.

“This is a hilly region, and contaminated water comes here. The water that comes through the pipes is yellow in colour,” Ghanshyam says.

This summer, he has 150 pots out on his route. He has the handcart. He has the towels. He has the will to keep going. What he needs now is a small battery-run rickshaw (a toto) that once helped him carry this water much further.

For most of the past six years, he rented a toto. This year, he cannot afford it. The route that once stretched towards tribal hamlets, labour camps, and faraway junctions now ends where his handcart can no longer go.

Beyond that point, people still wait. The water does not reach them.

Donate today to help Ghanshyam buy a battery-run rickshaw and take clean drinking water beyond the last stop his handcart can reach.

Tap to help 'Matka Man'

‘I lost my mother because of dirty water’

In 2015, Ghanshyam’s mother fell ill with anaemia, which was caused by the contaminated yellow water that came through the pipes in Jungle Mahal — the same water many families in his village had been drinking for years. 

“We tried a lot and spent money on my mother’s treatment, but she could not survive,” he says. “Many people in our home and village were falling ill because of this contaminated water.”

Ghanshyam spent Rs 1.5 lakh on her treatment. For one and a half to two months, she seemed to recover. Then, in 2017, she passed away.

That was when he decided that whatever work he did from then on would be for the good of others.

But, he could not afford a borewell for the village. He could not afford a filtration plant either. What he could manage, with money borrowed from contractors he worked for as a daily-wage labourer, was one earthen pot.

Then came another. And then, hundreds.

“We decided, as husband and wife, that we would go from place to place and give people clean water to drink,” he says. “We keep pots in different areas. We refill the water in the morning and evening, and give everyone clean water.”

Ghanshyam says he began this work with no savings. He would tell contractors that he wanted to do this service, take up labour work, earn what he could, and put the money into pots and water.

“Even today, I do not have money. That day too, I did not have money,” he says. 

In one season, he says, he would place as many as 400 earthen pots across the area. Some cracked during the monsoon, and some broke along the way. So whenever his pocket allowed, he bought more and placed them again, returning to the same promise that had begun after his mother’s death. 

The yellow water took his mother. Clean water, he believes, can protect someone else if he can help it reach them in time.

Across Ahraura, people now cheer when they see him arrive. They call out “Matka Man, Matka Man”, celebrate his work, and thank him for bringing water they can trust. “They give me a lot of blessings, support, and encouragement,” he says.

For Ghanshyam, those voices have become fuel.

And you can help him carry forward the promise he made after losing his mother: clean water for people who have none.

Tap to help 'Matka Man'

15 kilometres by handcart, 100 kilometres by rickshaw

Ghanshyam’s route begins at the Ahraura market, where a few shops with RO machines let him fill his 500-litre tank for free. The shopkeepers know where the water is going, so they allow him to fill the tank and encourage him to continue.

From there, he moves towards the junctions, the market area, the bus stop, the government hospital, and the places where labourers wait before leaving for the kiln, the lumberyard, or construction sites. He places two or three pots at each stop and returns through the day to refill them.

When he had access to a rented battery-run rickshaw, he could cover 70 to 80 kilometres in a day. Some days, he says, he could stretch the route to 100 kilometres. “Now, with the handcart, I can barely manage 15 to 20 kilometres. I am not able to go that far because money is slipping from my hands,” he says. “At present, I have kept only 150 pots in nearby areas. My courage is on the verge of breaking.”

Even within this smaller route, the work takes up the whole day. By noon, the first round is usually done. By evening, when many pots are empty again, he returns for another round. On some days, depending on how quickly the water is used, he goes back morning, afternoon, and evening. 

By the time he returns home, around 1,000 litres of clean water have passed through his hands.

At the junctions, people wait for him. “When I go to the junctions, people are ready. They think, ‘Matka Man will come, and we will fill our bottles with clean water’,” he says.

Most of the people who drink this water, Ghanshyam says, are labourers. Some cut wood. Some work at daily-wage sites. Some come barefoot, which is why he began keeping slippers on his route, too.

Ghanshyam and Shashi Lata have three children — two sons and a daughter. Both husband and wife have government job cards, but neither has fixed work. Through the year, he does labour work whenever he gets it. During the four hottest months, when wells run low, and labourers need water the most, he gives his days to the route.

“We could not do any business, and we did not get jobs. So we do labour work,” he says. “During the four months of summer, we do this work of service.”

He had no money the day he began. He has no savings now. Yet the pots are still out.

A man with almost nothing in his pocket is moving 1,000 litres of clean water through his region every day. With a handcart, the water reaches 15 kilometres. With a battery-run rickshaw, it can reach up to 100.

Donate today so that Ghanshyam’s water route can grow from 15 kilometres to 100 kilometres this summer.

Tap to help 'Matka Man'

How can you help bring long-term change?

For most of his six years on the road, Ghanshyam rented a battery-run rickshaw at Rs 500 a day. It allowed him to move faster, refill quicker, and reach people living much further away.

This year, the math broke.

School fees and household expenses rose, while the daily rent remained too high for him to manage. So he shifted to a handcart that costs Rs 100 a day. The handcart is cheaper, but it has cut his route down to a small circle around Ahraura.

“Now we cannot take the rickshaw on rent every day. Where will we bring the money from?” he asks. “We have been doing this work for five to six years, but now, it feels like I am falling. If I get the vehicle, I will rise again.”

The battery-run rickshaw he needs costs around Rs 1,60,000 in the Mirzapur market. Ghanshyam has already calculated what it can change.

The vehicle, Ghanshyam says, can open up the route again. He can travel 40 to 50 kilometres on either side of his home, return to the market faster for refills, and carry around 1,000 litres of clean water across a much larger area.

“If we have our own rickshaw, we will be able to do this work easily,” he says. “When summer comes again, I will go back into service.”

He adds, “If I get the vehicle, the money I now spend on rent will go into doing more service, into food for my children, and into taking this work further,” he says.

A battery-run rickshaw costs around Rs 1,60,000 in the Mirzapur market. It is also the cost of ending his daily dependence on rent. It is the cost of reaching the labourers who now fall outside his route.

Right now, he knows their faces. He also knows he cannot reach them. “It breaks my heart.”

For Rs 1,60,000, his route can grow from 15 kilometres to nearly 100. His 150 pots can become several hundred more. His daily rent can become money for water, food, school fees, and service.

Donate to help Ghanshyam buy the vehicle that can put clean water back on the road.

Tap to help 'Matka Man'

‘If I get this support, I will spread its benefit across society’

Some people in Ghanshyam’s village call him mad. They ask why a man with three children, no fixed job, and no land would leave his own household needs and spend his days giving water to others.

He has heard the question many times. His answer has stayed the same. What greater success can there be in life than this?” he says.

At the junctions, the answer arrives before he does. People gather when they see his cart or vehicle approaching. They cheer for him as “Matka Man! Matka Man!”, celebrate him, and thank him because they know he is bringing clean water.

“People gather and wait for me, rejoicing that they will get clean water,” he says.

That gratitude keeps him going through 45-degree heat, long rounds, broken pots, rent he cannot afford, and days when his own home has little to spare.

“I get this courage from the poor and from their blessings. I become completely absorbed in this work,” he says. “When I see someone drinking clean water, I feel very happy.”

He has no volunteers and no extra support right now. Shashi Lata is his only constant partner in the work. Together, they have carried this service through summers, losses, and shrinking means.

“My dream is that there should be clean water everywhere in Uttar Pradesh,” he says. “If I get support, I will spread its benefits across society. I just want to become a medium of support for society.”

Every morning, before the village has fully woken up, Ghanshyam steps out with water that has to travel. The handcart can take it 15 kilometres. The need waits much further away.

A battery-run rickshaw can put him back on the road he knows by heart, with nearly 100 kilometres ahead of him and labourers at the far end holding bottles that can finally be filled.

Ghanshyam does not need applause. He already receives it at the junctions, where people cheer “Matka Man” and wait for his water.

What he needs is a vehicle that can help him reach them.

Donate now. Help Ghanshyam buy a battery-run rickshaw, carry clean water across Mirzapur’s heat, and make sure the labourers waiting beyond his handcart’s reach are no longer left thirsty.

Tap to help 'Matka Man'

All pictures courtesy Donatekart

For decades, India’s education narrative has been shaped by a persistent gender gap — fewer girls in classrooms, higher dropout rates, and limited access to higher education. But a powerful shift is underway. 

From school corridors to postgraduate lecture halls, girls are not just catching up — they are beginning to outnumber boys.

Recent data from the National Statistical Office (NSO) signals a turning point. India is steadily closing long-standing gender disparities in education, with girls now surpassing boys in enrolment across several stages. 

This is not a sudden spike, but the result of years of layered progress — policy interventions, social change, and growing awareness about the value of educating girls.

Gender parity begins at the school level

At the school level, gender parity has largely been achieved. Enrolment data shows that girls are now slightly ahead of boys across primary, upper primary, and secondary levels. 

This marks a significant departure from earlier decades, when keeping girls in school itself was a challenge, especially in rural and economically vulnerable communities.

Under the National Education Policy (NEP) framework, female enrolment has improved across foundational, preparatory, middle, and secondary stages. 

In recent years, girls have not only matched but exceeded boys in adjusted net enrolment rates at the secondary level — a strong indicator that retention is improving alongside access.

Higher education sees a decisive shift

The shift becomes even more pronounced in higher education. Between 2021–22 and 2022–23, the female Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) rose from 28.5% to 30.2%, overtaking the male GER, which increased from 28.3% to 28.9%. Women now account for over half of total higher education enrolments in India.

At the postgraduate level, the trend strengthens further. Women constitute a dominant share in MPhil programmes, making up over 76% of enrolments. 

This reflects not just increased access, but persistence — more women are staying within the academic pipeline and pursuing advanced degrees.

Subject choices still reveal gaps

However, this progress is not evenly distributed across disciplines. Women continue to cluster in arts, sciences, and medical fields, while men dominate engineering, technology, and management streams.

This uneven representation points to deeper structural and social influences — from gendered expectations to limited exposure and mentorship in STEM fields. Bridging this gap will be critical to ensuring that educational gains translate into equitable career opportunities.

Dropout rates are steadily declining

One of the most encouraging developments is the decline in dropout rates for both boys and girls. Between 2022–23 and 2024–25, dropout rates have reduced across educational stages, with sharper improvements seen at preparatory and middle levels.

These gains reflect the impact of sustained interventions — mid-day meal schemes, better school infrastructure, scholarships, and targeted programmes aimed at keeping children, especially girls, in school.

A generational shift in literacy

While the overall literacy gap between men and women remains at around 14 percentage points, the picture looks far more optimistic among younger populations. Among those aged 15–24, the gap has narrowed sharply to just 3.8 percentage points.

This signals a generational shift. Female literacy in India has risen from just over 30% in the early 1980s to more than 70% today.

As these younger, better-educated cohorts grow older, the broader gender gap is likely to shrink further.

Beyond policy, a shift in mindset

Policy interventions have played a crucial role in driving this transformation. From infrastructure improvements like building toilets in schools to financial incentives for continued education, targeted efforts have addressed key barriers that once kept girls out of classrooms.

But equally important is the shift in societal attitudes. Families are increasingly viewing girls’ education as an investment rather than an obligation. Across regions, daughters are becoming first-generation learners, breaking long-standing cycles of limited access.

From access to empowerment

Despite the progress, challenges remain. Access does not automatically ensure equity. Digital divides, early marriages, safety concerns, and limited career guidance continue to shape girls’ educational journeys — particularly in rural and marginalised communities.

What India is witnessing today is more than a statistical milestone — it is a social transformation in motion. As girls move from classrooms to campuses in greater numbers, the focus must now shift from enrollment to empowerment.

Because when girls not only enter but thrive in education — across disciplines and career paths — they do more than change their own futures. They reshape the possibilities for an entire generation.

Sources:

‘All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021–22’: by Ministry of Education, Government of India, Published on 25 January 2024

‘AISHE 2021–22 Report Highlights Female GER Surpasses Male GER’: by Press Information Bureau (PIB), Published on 25 January 2024

‘Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) Reports’: by Ministry of Education, Government of India

‘Statistics & UDISE+ Reports’: by Ministry of Education, Government of India

‘National Education Policy 2020’: by Ministry of Education, Government of India, Published on 29 July 2020

‘Education in India’: by National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI)

In the forests of central India, the threat to a tiger may not always come from a poacher’s gun or shrinking habitat. Sometimes, it arrives quietly through village lanes carried by a stray dog.

Earlier this month, the deaths of a tigress and her four sub-adult cubs at Kanha Tiger Reserve sent shockwaves through India’s conservation circles. The animals reportedly died within nine days after being infected with canine distemper virus (CDV), a highly contagious disease commonly spread by domestic and feral dogs.

The incident pushed the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to issue an urgent advisory on 5 May, warning states that the virus posed a growing danger to wild carnivores.

Maharashtra responded immediately.

Acting on the advisory, Maharashtra’s chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), M Srinivasa Reddy, directed field directors across all tiger reserves in the state to begin vaccination drives for domestic and stray dogs living around protected forests, buffer zones and tourism corridors.

The idea is simple: protect the dogs to protect the tigers.

Why vaccinating dogs matters

Canine distemper virus does not always kill tigers directly. Wildlife experts say the virus weakens the immune system, leaving big cats — especially cubs and sub-adults — vulnerable to fatal secondary infections.

And the bridge between villages and forests is often built by free-ranging dogs.

India is estimated to have nearly 60 million dogs, of which around 35 million are free-ranging or feral. Around forest landscapes, these dogs move between villages, buffer zones and wildlife habitats, frequently interacting with wild carnivores.

This creates a dangerous pathway for diseases like canine distemper and rabies to spill over into wildlife populations.

That is why Maharashtra’s response is focused on creating a vaccination shield around tiger habitats.

Under the new directions, reserve authorities have been asked to prepare village-wise plans detailing estimated dog populations, vaccination schedules, veterinary officers responsible for implementation and monitoring systems for follow-up action.

Forest departments are also coordinating with the Animal Husbandry Department, gram panchayats and zilla parishads to monitor dog health and reduce the movement of stray and domestic dogs into core forest areas as far as possible.

Why the situation has become urgent

The concern around canine diseases spilling into wildlife is not entirely new.

In 2018, canine distemper virus was detected among Asiatic lions in Gir National Park. Over the years, several lions reportedly died from diseases including CDV and rabies, with experts suspecting free-ranging dogs around the landscape as a likely source of transmission.

But the recent deaths at Kanha have amplified fears because they involved an entire tiger family.

For conservationists, the incident exposed how vulnerable even protected forests have become to diseases emerging outside their boundaries.

India’s forests today are increasingly fragmented by roads, villages, tourism infrastructure and expanding human settlements. As these boundaries blur, domestic animals and wildlife are coming into closer contact than ever before.

And that interaction carries invisible risks.

What larger problem this reveals

The vaccination drive is ultimately addressing a much larger ecological challenge: protected forests can no longer be protected in isolation.

Free-ranging dogs are now emerging as a growing conservation concern across India. Wildlife researchers have found that dogs not only spread diseases but also attack native wildlife, compete with predators and disrupt fragile ecosystems around forests.

Studies assessing the impact of dogs on wildlife have found that nearly half of reported attacks occurred in and around Protected Areas, including national parks and tiger reserves.

This means tiger conservation is no longer only about securing forests from poaching or habitat loss. It also involves managing the human and animal ecosystems surrounding those forests.

In Maharashtra, that understanding is now shaping policy on the ground.

Officials have reportedly been asked to submit action taken reports within 15 days, followed by monthly compliance updates to the NTCA.

Today, protecting a tiger may begin far away from the forest itself — in a village vaccination camp, where a dog receives a shot that could stop a virus before it ever reaches the wild.

Sources:

‘Feral Dogs Vs. Wildlife – A Human-made Disaster in the Making’: By Purva Variyar, Published on 10 November 2022

‘Maha Orders Dog Vaccination Drive Around Tiger Reserves’: By Mazhar Ali, Abhishek Choudhari, Published on 11 May 2026

‘How Are Feral Dogs Endangering Indian Wildlife?’: By Nature inFocus Team, Published on 29 January 2021

Originally reported and written in May 2023, this story has been republished as part of our archival content.

“Ever since people have come to know that apples are growing on my farm, I have had a stream of visitors,” says Kakasaheb Sawant of Antral village in Sangli’s (Maharashtra) Jath taluka, proudly standing beside the row of bushes heavy with fruits.

Jath taluka, bordering Karnataka, is predominantly sunny, with temperatures in the summer reaching 43 degrees Celsius. In the winter, the temperature doesn’t cross the 27 degrees mark. Gifted with sandy-loamy soil, the rainfall is limited to just 30 days a year, averaging 560 mm. In such adverse conditions, Sawant has been able to grow apples (locally known as safarchand) and those visiting his farm consider it no less than a miracle.

People laughed at him when he decided he would grow the fruit in Konkan, recalls the 44-year-old, who runs a successful nursery of fruit and forest trees that he established in 2010 after bidding goodbye to his job as an automobile mechanic.

 

It was sometime in early 2020 that Sawant bought 150 saplings of HRMN-99  apples — an all-terrain apple variety developed by Himachal Pradesh native Hariman Sharma.

The genesis of the all-terrain variety 

It was sometime in 1999 that Sharma observed a fruit bearing apple seedling in his courtyard at Paniala village of Bilaspur district, which is situated 1,800 feet from sea level. Being an innovative farmer, he could sense that it was an extraordinary event. He persevered and grew several grafts of the same. 

“After working as a labourer in other farms for many years. In 1998, I started nurturing mango orchards and began vegetable cultivation. In 1999, I purchased apple seeds from another farmer in the district and planted them. I did not have any hopes that it would grow, but I observed a small apple seedling that had sprouted. I nurtured that seedling with the little knowledge I gained from my farming experience, and let it grow,” Hariman recalled in an earlier conversation with The Better India. 

Though Sharma’s crop bore fruit, the harvest was small in size. He decided to graft a stem from the apple tree with a plum tree. 

“The fruit quality was much better,” he said. “They were the size of regular apples, and in an earth-shade colour with red tinges on the side. Soon, I grafted some more trees, and created a mini orchard with eight trees. Till date, these trees continue to bear fruits, and provide a yield of 1 quintal every season which is usually in June.”

 

What makes this variety so unique 

The climate crisis has posed a significant challenge for apple growers in Himachal’s regions of Kullu, Shimla, Mandi, and more. A disproportionate rise in temperature has resulted in disturbed snow and rainfall patterns, in turn leading to cutting down on the chilling hours of traditional apple varieties, notes Outlook India. 

Perhaps apple varieties like those developed by Sharma could come as some respite from this challenge. 

In order to study the suitability and adaptability of Sharma’s apple variety in various agro-climatic conditions of the country, the National Innovation Foundation-India (NIF) transplanted around 10,000 saplings at 1,190 farmers’ fields in 2015-2017.  

Sharma claims that this apple variety does not require chilling hours for flowering and fruit setting. Chilling hours refers to the period when the plant is maintained at a certain temperature, usually from 0-7° C, to start producing flowers. While conventional apple trees could develop improper colour and fungal spots on its surface in case of excessive rain or fog during the fruit maturity period, the new variety is resistant to scab disease, he says.

 

Following its successful fruiting at several locations countrywide, Sharma was awarded the Plant Breeders’ Right for his innovation. It was named HRMN-99. The variety is ready to harvest in early June after three years of transplanting and the average yield from a seven-year old plant is one quintal. 

“Earlier, no one would have believed that apples would grow in the plains and in warm temperatures,” says Sharma, dwarfed by the fruit trees in his orchard-cum-nursery. As an innovator of this unique variety, he has exclusive control over its propagating material. 

Though many individuals and nursery owners on social media platforms claim to be HRMN-99 sellers, the case is not always so. “I appeal to those farmers interested in growing genuine low-chill apple varieties to buy from our government-certified nursery located in Bilaspur,” says Sharma, a member of the Research Council of Solan-based Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry.

With the sale of 9 lakh saplings so far, HRMN-99 apples are presently growing in 27 States of India and have found buyers in countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, South Africa, Zambia and Germany.

Having learnt about Sawant’s feat, the NIF awardee-farmer says, “I’m happy for him and hope more and more farmers take to growing it. This variety is resistant to common diseases and can be grown even in regions with temperatures of 40-45 degrees Celsius. I was in Manipur recently, where a group of 202 farmers planted 30,000 HRMN-99 saplings.”

125 apple bushes in Antral

“Of the 150 I planted on an acre, only 125 have survived. Each plant has 30 to 40 apples and the fruit weighs between 100 to 200 g,” says Sawant, recipient of Udyan Pandit, an award given by the Maharashtra Government for excellence in fruit cultivation and sponsored by the National Horticulture Board. 

 

Social worker and fellow farmer Sanjay Sawant (44) is all praise for the efforts that Kakasaheb and his two brothers — who work as school teachers — have put into their 20-acre farm. Moreover, they did this in a region where farming activities are at the mercy of nature’s vagaries, as locals struggle to grow crops in a rain-shadow area. “To irrigate their parched farm plot land, the Sawant brothers laid four pipelines, both 4 km long, to bring water from the Mhaisal Irrigation Scheme on the Krishna River.”

 Of the many who have lately visited Sawant’s apple orchard is the taluka Krishi Adhikari Manoj Kumar Vetal. He says, “The vegetative growth of the trees is remarkable, the colour of the fruit is acceptable too. However,  it lacks in fruit-setting and palatability, which it will overcome in a season or two, a phenomenon we earlier witnessed when dragon fruit was introduced in Maharashtra.”

With the likelihood of the fruit fetching Rs 200 per kg Sawant is not worried once he harvests the Sangli apples, for he is sure to make a couple of lakhs in the bargain.

Edited by Divya Sethu

Some dreams survive on talent Some survive on pure stubbornness ❤️

For 35 years Ashok Maskeen balanced two lives mornings filled with riyaaz days spent inside a factory in Punjab and nights holding onto music like it was the only thing keeping him going 🎶

No stage No spotlight No guarantees Just a voice shaped by struggle sacrifice and endless hard work

And today that same voice is echoing through Coke Studio Bharat touching millions across the country proving that sometimes the world discovers people long after they have already mastered their art

Because real passion doesn’t disappear with time It waits patiently until the world is finally ready to listen

#CokeStudio #Punjab #Music #PunjabiSinger #InspiringStories #IndiaInspires #MusicJourney #NeverGiveUp #IndependentArtist #DreamBig #CokeStudioBharat #PositiveStories #IndianMusic

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Who Is Ashok Maskeen
Coke Studio Bharat Singer Stories
Inspiring Punjabi Singer Journeys
From Factory Worker to Music Star
Real Stories Behind Coke Studio Bharat

music used : Night Falls - Everet Almond

For generations, menstruation in India has been wrapped in silence, stigma, and a maze of myths. From being told not to enter kitchens or temples to hiding sanitary products in black plastic bags, young girls often grow up associating their periods with shame rather than biology. Even today, conversations around menstruation are either avoided or cloaked in euphemisms, leaving millions of adolescents confused, misinformed, and unprepared.

It is in this landscape of discomfort and misinformation that Menstrupedia emerged, not as a lecture but as a story.

Co-founded by Aditi Gupta, Menstrupedia is a comic-led menstrual education platform that has quietly transformed how young people understand periods. What sets it apart is its simplicity: it uses relatable characters, storytelling, and culturally sensitive visuals to explain menstruation in an engaging rather than intimidating way.

At its heart is a powerful idea — that knowledge, when delivered in the right format, can dismantle even the most deep-rooted taboos.

From silence to storytelling

Aditi Gupta’s journey began in a small town in Jharkhand, where she experienced firsthand the confusion and restrictions that surround menstruation. She got her first period at 12, but like many girls, wasn’t taught about it properly until years later. 

In the meantime, she navigated a world of rules — don’t touch, don’t sit here, don’t talk about it, without understanding why.

These early experiences stayed with her. Years later, while studying at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, Aditi began researching menstrual awareness and discovered that the lack of knowledge wasn’t limited to rural India, it was widespread, even among educated communities.

That insight sparked an idea.

Instead of creating yet another textbook or awareness campaign, Aditi and her husband, Tuhin Paul, decided to communicate through comics, a medium that felt safe, familiar, and non-judgmental.

 In 2012, what began as a college project evolved into Menstrupedia.

Building Menstrupedia: Comics, community, and change

Menstrupedia is not just a comic — it is a full-fledged educational ecosystem. Its flagship comic book follows young characters guided by a friendly doctor figure, answering questions about puberty, hygiene, and periods in a conversational tone.

The platform also includes a website with blogs, Q&A sections, and learning modules, all designed to make menstrual education accessible and stigma-free. 

Importantly, the content is medically reviewed and culturally contextualised, ensuring both accuracy and relatability.

Over time, the comics have expanded into multiple languages and reached schools, NGOs, and communities across India and beyond. Today, Menstrupedia has helped educate millions of girls and trained thousands of educators, proving that storytelling can be a powerful tool for social change.

As a startup, Menstrupedia stands at the intersection of health, education, and design. It demonstrates how innovation doesn’t always mean technology; it can also mean rethinking how we communicate critical information. 

By combining design thinking with social impact, Aditi built a model that is scalable, sustainable, and deeply human.

Rewriting the narrative around periods

What Aditi Gupta and Menstrupedia have achieved goes beyond awareness; they have shifted the narrative. In classrooms where giggles once accompanied the word 'period', there is now curiosity. In homes where the topic was taboo, conversations are slowly opening up.

Menstrupedia’s success lies in its empathy. It doesn’t shame traditions; it gently questions them. It doesn’t overwhelm; it simplifies. 

And most importantly, it meets young people where they are — curious, confused, and ready to learn.

In a country where millions of girls still drop out of school due to a lack of menstrual awareness and resources, such interventions are not just helpful; they are necessary.

Aditi’s journey is a reminder that change doesn’t always begin with loud disruption. Sometimes, it starts quietly, with a comic book, a conversation, and the courage to ask, 'Why are we still not talking about this?'

Sources: 

‘Saying the M-Word out Loud: Aditi Gupta's Journey of Busting Period Myths & Taboos With Comics!’ by Aditi Patwardhan for The Better India, Published on 19 January 2017.

‘How Menstrupedia continued tackling menstrual health stigma when most experts saw little business value’ by Tenzin Norzom for YourStory.com, Published on 28 May 2022.

A stay in Srinagar — the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir — means waking up to sceneries that seem almost as if out of a postcard. While the rest of India beats the heat in their own creative ways, we suggest taking a trip to the North where the air is chilly and filled with adventure.

Whilst you get the details of your trip ironed out, don’t stress about the stay. These homestays in Srinagar are just what you need to make the most of your trip.

1. Mahatta Homestay

The iconic Dal Lake is only 4 km away from the homestay, making it a wonderful option if you plan to spend most of your time in the serenity of the lake. The homestay is also within walking distance from the main shopping hub of the city. It is run by the Mahatta family, who are aficionados of photography. The ambience, food and decor are inspired by generations of the family who have been living in Kashmir since the 19th century.

Address: C 26, Raj bagh, Srinagar, Kashmir - 190001

Contact: 9796079747

Price: Rs 4,000/night onwards

2. Ikraam Inn

If you are someone who loves spending your vacations exploring the town, visiting every tourist spot you’ve read about, and making memories, you’d love staying at the Ikraam Inn. As it turns out, the majority of the tourist spots — the historical Mughal Gardens, Tulip Garden, Botanical Garden, Hazratbal Shrine, Shankaracharya Temple and Dal Lake — are within half an hour's drive from the inn. The delicious Kashmiri home-cooked meals served here are an added bonus.

Address: Rajbagh Extension, Hurriyat Road, Srinagar, Kashmir - 190008

Contact: 9797067897

Price: Rs 4,000/night onwards

3. SheenWynds Homestay

The 70-year-old homestay, owned by a Punjabi family, is what reviews call “a perfect way to spend a vacation”. Located in Pahalgam, the house is a beautiful getaway from the hustle and bustle of metropolitan cities. The owner Shaan ji is more than happy to spend time with guests, telling them stories of the wonderful Srinagar. What’s more is that breakfasts are served outdoors in the fruit orchards, making for a charming scenic view.

Address: Mehtab House, Magarmal bagh, Magarmal bagh chowk, Srinagar, Kashmir - 190001

Contact: 9103092526

Price: Rs 3,696/night onwards

4. Shangraff Mountain House

The Mahadev Peak in Srinagar is a popular one, also known to be one of the few that is snow-clad for most of the year. The peak is a part of the Zabarwan mountain range, acclaimed for its majestic appeal. What’s fascinating is that residents of the Shangraff Mountain House can wake up to this breathtaking view every day. The homestay is almost like a cosy lodge nestled in the foothills of the mountains with fruit orchards spread out for miles around. Don’t miss out on a trip to the Dachigam forest whilst here, home to the endangered Kashmir stag.

Address: 1, Syed Baba Rd, Rainawari, Srinagar, Kashmir - 191123

Contact: Here

Price: Rs 12,000/night onwards

5. The Cottage Nigeen

Staying at The Cottage Nigeen is like having your story moment come true. The rooms are bright and done up in floral colours of pink, green and beige — almost a match with the garden outside that blooms with roses, apples, pears and more. The homestay is taken care of by a Kashmiri couple and borrows its name from its iconic location on the banks of Nigeen Lake. 

“The Cottage is filled with memories of our yesteryears and our children who have moved on in life. It was thrown open to guests just to share the joys of having lived in a Kashmiri house,” says the host, Riyaz.

Address: Mirza Bagh Nigeen Hazratbal, near Nigeen Lake, Srinagar, Kashmir - 190006

Contact: +9697985515

Price: Rs 6,000/night onwards

6. My Kashmir Home

The story of this homestay traces right back to the 1960s when the Khanyari family settled down here. The homestay is now run by Aamir Khanyari, the grandson, who says it was born out of a simple idea to welcome people to see the beauty of a Kashmiri home in all its authenticity. Seekh kebabs (a meat delicacy), Kashmiri pickles, and Kashmiri harissa (a traditional mutton curry) are a few of the favourites on the menu.

Address: Gulshan Gousia, next to B.S.F. Camp, Ishber Nishat, Srinagar, Kashmir - 191121

Contact: 9822128675

Price: Rs 8,000/night onwards

7. Mountain View Villa

A boutique homestay located a kilometre away from the famous Nishat Garden, the Srinagar Homestay is taken care of by Yasmin Ali. You can count on her for her fare of authentic Kashmiri cuisine or even take your picnic to the neighbouring gardens. This is a nature lover’s paradise with activities like boating, bird watching, forest walks and more.

Address: Nishat Mountview Villa Uphill Lane, Srinagar, Kashmir - 191121

Contact: 9797211919

Price: Rs 10,000/night onwards

(Edited by Pranita Bhat)

Black gram, also known as urad, is one of the most important pulse crops grown across India. It is valued for its high protein content, its role in improving soil fertility, and its strong demand in everyday cooking. 

From dal to papad and dosa batter, it is woven into Indian diets. With proper care and timely agricultural practices, black gram can provide good returns even on small and marginal farms.

1. Choose the right season for sowing

The success of black gram cultivation begins with correct timing. It is commonly grown as a kharif crop during the monsoon season when rainfall begins. In irrigated areas, it can also be cultivated as a summer crop. Sowing should always be avoided in waterlogged conditions as excess moisture can damage the crop and reduce germination.

2. Select suitable soil and prepare the field

Black gram grows best in well-drained sandy loam or loamy soil. Heavy clay soils should be avoided unless proper drainage is guaranteed. The field should be ploughed two to three times to create a fine and level seedbed. This helps in better seed germination and root development. Adding well-decomposed farmyard manure improves soil fertility and supports healthy plant growth.

3. Choose high-quality seeds

Selecting good-quality seeds is important for achieving a healthy crop. Farmers should use certified seeds of high-yielding varieties suitable for their region. Seeds must be clean, uniform, and free from disease or damage. Before sowing, seeds should be treated with rhizobium culture or biofertiliser. This improves nitrogen fixation and improves plant growth naturally.

4. Sow seeds with proper spacing

Seeds should be sown directly into the prepared field at a shallow depth. Maintaining proper spacing between rows and plants is important to allow sufficient sunlight and air circulation. This reduces the risk of pests and diseases while improving pod development. In most Indian conditions, a row spacing of about 30 centimetres is ideal.

5. Manage water wisely

Black gram requires only moderate irrigation. The crop is sensitive to excess water, which can harm root health. Light irrigation should be provided during dry periods. The flowering and pod formation stages are critical, and moisture stress during this time should be avoided to allow a good yield.

6. Control weeds at the right time

Weeds can considerably reduce crop yield by competing for nutrients, water, and sunlight. The first round of weeding should be done two to three weeks after sowing. A second weeding may be required after another two weeks, depending on weed growth. Manual weeding or shallow tilling is generally effective in maintaining a clean field.

7. Protect the crop from pests and diseases

Common pests affecting black gram include aphids, whiteflies, and pod borers. Regular field monitoring helps in early detection and control. Eco-friendly methods, such as neem-based sprays, are recommended to reduce pest damage. Crop rotation and maintaining field hygiene also help in preventing diseases and improving crop health.

8. Support flowering and pod formation

During flowering and pod development, the crop needs balanced nutrition and consistent moisture. Any stress during this stage can affect yield. In some cases, applying micronutrients through foliar sprays can improve flowering and pod setting. Proper care at this stage directly influences the final harvest.

9. Harvest at the right time

Black gram is ready for harvest when most pods turn black and dry. Delayed harvesting can lead to pod shattering and seed loss. Plants should be cut at the base and dried properly in sunlight before threshing. Proper drying confirms better seed quality and storage life.

10. Store the produce safely

After threshing and cleaning, the grains should be stored in a dry and cool place. Airtight containers or traditional storage methods can help protect the produce from moisture and pests. Proper storage guarantees that the grains remain safe for consumption and future sowing.

Black gram farming is both simple and rewarding when managed with care. From soil preparation to harvesting, each step plays an important role in achieving a good yield. With timely practices and proper attention, farmers can improve productivity while also supporting soil health and sustainable farming.

Somewhere far beneath the surface of the world's seas, in darkness so complete that no sunlight has ever reached it, millions of tiny machines are keeping watch. 

They sit on the ocean floor — patient, silent, indispensable — tracking the tremors that precede tsunamis, measuring temperature shifts that signal climate change, feeding a continuous stream of data to the warning systems that protect hundreds of millions of coastal lives.

Most of them are slowly dying.

Not from pressure. Not from corrosion. From something far more mundane, a drained battery. And when a deep-sea sensor goes dark, getting to it to replace the battery requires a research vessel, a specialised crew, weeks of logistical planning, and enormous expense. 

For every sensor that goes silent, there is a gap in the invisible safety net stretched beneath our oceans. It is one of the quietest, most consequential engineering crises of our time, and almost nobody is talking about it.

Except for a scientist from Kerala’s Kannur, who is not just talking about it but providing a potential solution.

Kerala's moment on the world stage

Dr Bipin Balaram, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Amrita University, Coimbatore, has been awarded the European Union's Marie Curie Research Fellowship, one of the most prestigious and fiercely competitive scientific honours on the planet. 

Named after the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences, the fellowship is the EU's gold standard for exceptional research talent. It is awarded globally, across all disciplines, to researchers whose work is considered not just excellent, but genuinely urgent.

Dr Bipin has won it. And with it comes Rs 3 Crore (3,00,000 Euros) in funding and two years of fully independent research at the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom.

For Kerala, a state that has always produced minds of extraordinary calibre, it is a moment of deep, well-earned pride.

Letting the ocean power itself

The problem Dr Bipin is tackling is straightforward to state and ferociously difficult to solve: how do you keep a sensor running indefinitely on the ocean floor, with no power source, no maintenance crew, and no way to plug anything in?

His answer is a pendulum.

When a sensor buoy bobs and rolls with the natural rhythm of ocean waves, a pendulum suspended inside it swings. That swing drives a generator. That generator produces electricity continuously, cleanly, and without any human intervention, for as long as the ocean moves. 

His fellowship-funded research will focus on perfecting this pendulum-based system so it can withstand the brutal realities of deep-sea existence and reliably power the sensors that guard our coastlines.

If it works, and the EU's most rigorous scientific reviewers clearly believe it can, tsunami warning networks will become more dependable and climate monitoring will become more comprehensive. And the ocean's vast, fragile data infrastructure becomes, for the first time, truly self-sustaining.

Journey from Kannur to Glasgow

Behind the fellowship is a life built on quiet, consistent excellence. Dr Bipin grew up in Kannur and went on to study at Government Engineering College, Thrissur, where he also served as College Union Chairman. 

He earned his PhD from the National Institute of Technology, Calicut, before joining Amrita University as a faculty member. He is currently also a research fellow at the Lodz University of Technology in Poland.

The Marie Curie Fellowship now takes him to Glasgow — and places him, unambiguously, among the world's most important researchers in his field.

He is the eldest son of retired Professor M P Balaram and K Sasikala, and is married to Dr M M Radhika.

What this means for Kerala

Kerala has never struggled to produce brilliant people. What is remarkable about Dr Bipin's achievement is the level at which it has been recognised — not by a regional body, not by a national committee, but by the European Union's foremost scientific institution, in competition with researchers from across the globe.

That a boy from Kannur is the one Europe has chosen to solve a problem the entire world is facing, and that is not a small thing. 

It is the kind of achievement that deserves to be celebrated loudly, remembered long, and held up as an example for every young student in Kerala who has ever looked at a difficult problem and wondered if they were the right person to solve it.

The ocean never stops moving. Neither, it turns out, does Kerala.

 Sources:

'Global pride for Kerala: Kannur scientist wins prestigious ₹3 Cr Marie Curie Fellowship': by Mathrubhumi English, Published on April 2026

‘Faculty Profile — Dr. Bipin Balaram': by Amrita University, Published on amrita.edu