iVolunteer Blog - everything about volunteeringBefore joining the Swar Fellowship, I had read bell hooks’ Feminism Is for Everybody and admired its simplicity and clarity. But only after spending months in the field did her ideas start feeling real. Hooks talks about feminism not as a theory, not as something meant for a classroom or an elite group, but as […]
A year ago, if anyone asked me where I am going to work ? I would have said anything, but not crochet for sure. I entered this fellowship with the mindset that I would be placed in a small, remote village with limited access to electricity and poor road connectivity. What I found was different […]
Today, while thinking about which everyday Uttarakhand product I could write about, my eyes stopped at a simple Bhimal basket kept in my room. I use it daily without thinking about where it came from or who made it. That small moment made me curious. I wanted to understand the journey of the tree behind […]
India proudly calls its farmers Annadata, the givers of food and life. The word carries deep respect and cultural meaning. It reflects our belief that farmers sustain the nation and nourish every household. But beyond speeches, slogans, and festival greetings, a difficult truth remains. In reality, farmers are often respected in words but neglected in […]
I have been sitting with this question for a while now. It started when I was in the middle of hiring for my team – going through CVs, sitting across from people in interviews, trying to figure out who to bring in. And somewhere between the second and third round, it hit me: I was […]
There are places that feel alive with noise people walking by, shops opening and closing, vehicles passing, conversations drifting through the air. And then there are places like mine. Every morning I arrive at a site that feels almost forgotten by the world. The land stretches out dry and cracked, the soil pale and dusty […]
Nine months in the field changes you. It changes the way you look at a forest, the way you listen to an old woman sorting through dried amla berries, the way you calculate the worth of a single tree. When I first arrived in Chhattisgarh, I came with maps, data sheets, and a vague understanding […]
तुम रुकती क्यों नहीं हो…?🌊 क्या कभी थकान तुम्हें भी छू जाती है, या फिर तुमने थकना सीखा ही नहीं? तुम्हारी हर लहर मानो अपनी ही कोई कहानी लेकर उठती है, कभी शोर मचाकर, कभी बिल्कुल खामोश रहकर; पर हर बार कुछ न कुछ अपने साथ बहा ही ले जाती है, टूटे सपने, अधूरी बातें,और […]
For a year long, I have been understanding the rural enterprises through conducting various Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP) trainings among women where I talk about starting or growing a business, marketing and finances. I have been attending various exhibitions to understand the variety of products, their labelling, packaging and marketing strategies and learning deeply about […]
There’s a particular kind of sting that comes with feedback that’s true. My mentor’s words were careful, almost gentle: “You’re brilliant at planning and management. But your communication… sometimes you’re reactive rather than responsive.” She wasn’t wrong. I knew it even as I felt myself bristling against it. Here’s what nobody tells you about personal […]
iVolunteer Blog - everything about volunteering 