When I first heard about the exposure visit as part of my SWAR Fellowship, I understood it in a very simple way. I thought it was meant for learning from different organisations -understanding their models, their strengths, how they work with communities, and how they sustain their impact. For me, it was like stepping into […]
Agriculture in India is rich with potential, yet small and marginal farmers often struggle to realize fair value for their hard work. Seasonal price crashes, middlemen commissions, and post-harvest losses frequently reduce incomes to unsustainable levels. In Sri Sathya Sai district, despite being a horticulture hub supported by drip and sprinkler irrigation, this challenge remains […]
Categories
A Starry Night in Madhonar and Kachora
We were informed by the youth team of Madhonar and Kachora that they were ready and will arrange a gram sabha meet where our team, Saathi Ngo would take a 2 day training/awarness. They touched upon numerous themes like management and planning of the community forest resources for the community forest resources management committee, collection […]
Categories
Sudden flood in mid-Night
A pitch-dark room. A single candle flickers weakly, its flame trembling. It might last another thirty minutes at most. After that, even the last hint of light will disappear from my room. My phone is dead, no torch either. I still have eight to nine long hours to survive before dawn arrives. The incident of […]
Categories
My First Order Delivery to BigBasket
A Story of Determination, Women Power, and Belief Some milestones are not just achievements – they are emotions, struggles, teamwork, and belief coming together. Delivering our first order of 1 ton traditional rice varieties to BigBasket was one such unforgettable milestone in my journey. I am working at a Common Facility Centre (CFC) involved in […]
Categories
The Story of GramUrja Foundation
Fellowships are beautiful in a sense that they unlock our potential, expose us to the needs of the communities and provide directions for our future endeavours. Tangibly, fellowships help us to establish appropriate networks in the sector, help us to engage with various stakeholders – govt, administration, communities, and other organisations, and cultivate skills of […]
Sexual violence disproportionately affects women. That is not debatable. Structural inequality, patriarchy, and power imbalance make women more vulnerable in measurable ways. Any legal reform must start by acknowledging that reality. But here is the question that has been quietly growing in policy discussions: Should sexual offence laws be fully gender-neutral? Under current Indian law, […]
Categories
A Journey to Unexpected Wins
Its disheartening, almost shattering to not be able to make it to things, especially those that we have worked the hardest for. Failure in 2 UPSC prelims attempts broke me and made me doubt my efforts. I was confident, I worked hard, completed the syllabus, revised, solve more than 3000 PYQs, gave more than 50 […]
Categories
‘Carrying’ Change
Working in the hills of Uttarakhand has consistently reinforced one lesson: no intervention here is complete without negotiating with geography. The installation of millet processing machines in Parwari village was one such experience. A process that highlighted not only the labor-intensiveness of traditional millet processing but also the physical effort required simply to introduce change. […]
Categories
Talking to a Stranger
Sometimes, the most meaningful conversations happen with people we have never met before. There is something unexpectedly beautiful about speaking to someone who knows nothing about your background, your achievements, or your struggles. In that brief moment, you are simply two human beings sharing space and words. I remember a random conversation while returning home […]
iVolunteer Blog - everything about volunteering 