The reporting and interviews for this story were conducted in August 2024. Have you ever considered stepping away from the frenetic pace of urban life and immersing yourself in the tranquil simplicity of your ancestral heritage? Does the thought of living minimally, as your ancestors did, appeal to you? Meet a family who’s made this…
Dawn spills soft gold over Chhattisgarh’s sal forests. Mist hangs low among the trees, and somewhere beyond the tall grass comes a deep, steady rumble — a tiger announcing its place in the wild. Not long ago, these woods were falling silent. Sightings had dwindled, and hope for the big cats felt fragile. By April…
In the quiet hours of the night, while humans and their pets sleep, a small insect known colloquially as the “kissing bug” embarks on its nocturnal quest for blood. These insects, belonging to the subfamily Triatominae, are efficient vectors of a potentially devastating illness: Chagas disease. While historically viewed as a problem confined to rural…
Seeing millions go hungry while tonnes of food went to waste pushed Aarushi into action. What began as a weekend of volunteering in 2014 has become the Robinhood Army, a volunteer-based organisation that collects surplus meals from restaurants and community kitchens and serves them fresh to those in need. Watch how Aarushi’s consistent efforts have…
It’s a long walk through the forest — 10 kilometres, to be precise. She must set out early; how else will she reach school on time? Yet every step is shadowed by fear. Every blade of grass that brushes her kurta — the village of Dhanaita in Mirzapur is overgrown with these wild grasses — makes…
The interviews and reporting for this story were conducted in November 2019. In the quaint hamlet of Gopinatham, located in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district, the name of P Srinivas, the an IFS officer was martyred in a brutal assassination by Veerappan on 10 November 1991 still reverberates in the hearts of the villagers. “We are very…
The fierce summer has passed, the rains have soaked the soil, and a gentle coolness is setting in. September is that rare sweet spot in the gardening year — when the earth is still warm, the air turns pleasant, and seeds sown now thrive with little fuss. It’s the perfect moment to fill your garden…
Across India, ordinary people are rising to extraordinary challenges with courage, compassion, and perseverance. Their journeys are not without struggle, yet the causes they champion inspire lasting change. As part of Optum Presents The Better India Showcase supported by M3M Foundation, we celebrate five remarkable Water Warriors(category sponsor: Bisleri) whose citizen-led movements are safeguarding our…
“Standing on that stage in Tokyo, hearing our name called out as sixth among twenty-one teams, my voice caught in my throat,” reflects Sharun Arora, the emotion in his voice unmistakable, even through the crackle of a long-distance call. “It felt like every moment, including decades of volunteering, planning, and purposeful weekends, had converged into…
Each season, tonnes of crops rot in the fields because of poor storage and market fluctuations, turning surplus into waste for many farmers. Find out how Moomba addresses this with a simple, low-cost solar conduction dryer — helping farmers turn losses into livelihoods. Auto clear code: “Uprise” licensed via Music Vine: JNNA8O67KKDPER0QTitle of Musical Work: UpriseArtist:…