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What it’s like to travel in an all-woman train
The Kolkata Suburban Railway, launched in 1952, is a vital rail network in India, catering to lakhs of people, connecting urban and rural areas for work, education, healthcare and leisure. These...
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Tribal school in Bengal defies odds, nurtures cultural roots
A residential primary school for tribal students, run by tribal teachers, in a remote corner of West Bengal’s Purulia district has achieved a unique and rare distinction. Despite its unassuming...
View ArticleBusier than bees: Sundarbans’ honey collectors
Honey collectors, locally known as moulis, make arduous journeys on small boats on the Matla and Bidyadhari rivers every year during March-May, which is the honey collection season. This honey is sold...
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Bengal teens fight for safer menstrual waste disposal
A WhatsApp group named “Friends Forever” serves as a platform for young women like 18-year-old Parvina Khatun and her companions, Jajmina and Itu, to share more than just “good morning” messages and...
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Meet the woman who walks many a mile to deliver mail
Alaka Mahato (58) faced many struggles when she lost her husband. Becoming a peon at Begunkodar post office – a position her late husband had held – helped her rebuild her life and deliver mail to...
View ArticleBio-gas, a blessing
For Nisha Maurya, a resident of Ramgaon Village in Uttar Pradesh, a bio-gas stove to cook on is not just that — it is a symbol of independence and self-reliance. Widowed a few years ago, Nisha...
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One woman’s mission to make goats healthier in UP villages
Goat rearing is a common livelihood activity for the villagers in Bahraich district, but they face multiple challenges, including lack of affordable and easily accessible veterinarian services....
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Women farmers harness solar power for irrigation
As the harsh sun shines over Ramwapur village in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, a team of women makes the most of it. Quite literally. These small and marginal farmers own and operate a small...
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Rural women breathe easy in the kitchen, thanks to biogas
Pushpa Devi (26), a resident of Basauna Mafi village in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, spends her days like most women in rural India do. First, she sweeps and cleans her three-room house and the...
View ArticleSelf-defence lessons for UP’s rural women
Under the Flagship Aspirational District Programme, run by the Aga Khan Foundation in collaboration with IndusInd Bank, a life skills training programme is being conducted on-ground, in rural Uttar...
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Cow power drives mid-day meals in this Bengal school
Whoops of joy hail the bell at around 11am, announcing the end of classes for the day at Gosaidih Primary School in Manbazar block of Purulia district in West Bengal. A wave of excitement sweeps...
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Battling extinction: Fight to save the elusive Batagur baska
The Batagur Baska, also known as the northern river terrapin, is an elusive and critically endangered turtle species native to Southeast Asia, particularly the Sundarbans mangrove delta in India and...
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‘Kantha Didi’ takes Bengal’s age-old art to global recognition
Tajkira Begum, a 53-year-old from Agartore village of Nanoor block in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, leads self-help groups aimed at empowering women through kantha — a centuries-old tradition of...
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From housewife to e-rickshaw driver, Kashmiri woman rides toward financial...
Kaunsar Jan, 35, decided to become an e-rickshaw driver in 2022. Her decision was prompted out of financial necessity. But now she is enjoying financial independence and a sense of empowerment as she...
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Woman fights hidden drug epidemic in Kashmir
Turmoil and tourism are the screaming headline-makers in Kashmir — a green, saucer-shaped valley surrounded by snowy Himalayan mountains and more than 100 lakes dotting its highlands and plains.But...
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A lifeline for destitute women in rural West Bengal
Abira was 26 and seven months pregnant when she found herself trapped in a cycle of domestic abuse. Her husband is an alcoholic and his violent behaviour showed no signs of stopping. Her in-laws...
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