In April 2025, during field visits to 105 mango farms in Sri Sathya Sai District, Andhra Pradesh, a disturbing reality emerged about the food we consume daily. Out of all these farms, only one was practicing organic farming. The remaining 104 farms relied heavily on chemical pesticides and insecticides to manage pests and diseases. Within […]...

No doubt action is adventure but the roots of action lies in learning, and learning sometimes comes with boredom. So everytime a learning bore me, I resort to action in the form of creation. Creating patterns, doodling lotuses and leaves, curves, etc., is a pass time activity for me. One evening, I was getting bored […]...

I haven’t had a phone for the last three months. I know it sounds hard to believe, but that’sthe truth. I’ve been using my tablet for calling and for all my other work. In field conditions,carrying a tab everywhere is not easy at all, and when the Republic Day sale came, I finally decided that […]...

There is a word in Bangla “স্থিতপ্রজ্ঞা” which means a person who stays calm, balanced or steady no matter what the situation is – good or bad.  If I had to describe the woman of the mountains in one word, then it would essentially be this word.  Living in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand has […]...

Some Sundays are meant for rest.Some are meant for reflection.And then there are Sundays that set the tone for the entire year. We began this year with purpose, positivity, and memories that will stay with us for a long time 💚 The Yamuna River Cleanup & Forest Plog Walk, conducted in collaboration with Sanskriti Youth […]...

I was on my way back from Chennai after attending a family wedding. My route was long: Chennai → Vijayawada → Sukma. At Vijayawada, I had a connecting sleeper bus at 10:30 pm. By the time I reached, it was just 6 in the evening. Now, I have this small habit whenever I travel: if […]...

Introduction As my project was primarily about increasing millet productivity, I was under the impression that millets were staple food crops which were fairly common in Uttarakhand and that my task was just to render assistance or actions that would further their availability within households. However, the situation was drastically different than what I had […]...

After spending the whole day at my work site, I started my journey back to my rented room on my scooter. It was around 8 p.m, and the ride usually takes about 45 minutes. I travel on the Nagapattinam highway- a road that feels lonely at night. There are no busy streets, no continuous shops, […]...

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has introduced the PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM-FME) Scheme under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to strengthen India’s food processing sector at the grassroots level. The scheme aims to support micro food entrepreneurs by encouraging value addition, improving processing practices, reducing post-harvest losses, and enabling informal […]...

Carrying someone’s bag is not something most people enjoy. But a boy secretly in love with a girl, hoping to win her heart, might willingly offer to carry her bag. Or consider yourself: stern, a brave man maybe, but still compelled to tread carefully around your wife’s stern glances—yes, even you might become quite skilled […]...

This mid-point training in Delhi had kept me very curious and excited for almost a month. I kept imagining the sessions, the learning, the people that I get to meet, and the entire vibe of the capital city. I even planned everything well in advance from packing to buying new dresses especially for the trip. […]...

The Surprise Visit Diwali came with a gift I didn’t plan the chance to go home. It was supposed to be a surprise, a burst of light in what had been a difficult year. My grandfather, nearly 90, had been ill for twelve long months. But when I saw him, something magical happened. Despite everything, […]...