iVolunteer Blog - everything about volunteering

An evening lamp flickers  inside the mud hut.  From above the mahua tree, the moonlight falls softly on the face of Dhaneshwar Netam. Beads of sweat glisten on her dust-covered forehead, shimmering like silver under the tender touch of the moonlight. Before the oil in the evening lamp runs out, the tomato saplings must be […]

It began like a quiet river,twelve paths crossing somewhere betweendreams and dusty roads of India.Different tongues, different homes,yet one shared promise to leave the world a little kinder than we found it. First came Kushal,a traveler with books in his backpackand philosophy in his breath.From Ahmedabad’s thoughtful streetsto the forests of Kondagaon and Narayanpur,he debates […]

One of the most intriguing aspects I observed from my very first days in the fellowship was how deeply culture shapes everyday life in the Kumaon region. It is not just present in festivals or rituals: it quietly governs food, health practices, caregiving, and even decisions around childbirth. During my initial field visits, I found […]

Indian spirituality and religion are very deep, diverse, and layered, and in Uttarakhand, it’s at another level, as it is named Devbhumi. Here, the religious practices are very much a part of daily lives; wherever there is a source of water, there is a temple. It’s a common thing here to find a big or […]

As the fellowship moves towards its closure, something strange has been happening to me. Slowly, quietly, without any announcement , I have started seeing things differently. Not just the work. The way I look at what is right and what is wrong has genuinely shifted, and I am still in the middle of figuring out […]

Shyamvati Netam, a cheerful woman. She is quite intelligent and hardworking. I first met her in the month of September. Her homeis located about 200 meters from a small hill on the northern side of Kutulnar village. She staying with her husband Manglu and three childrens along with parents in-law. Today’s story is about that […]

“The capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” This is the bookish definition of the word resilience. But I believe that the definition of resilience is different for different people, based on what they are striving for, what they are fighting for, and what their journey has been so far, and how […]

A few months ago, during the Panchayati Raj elections in Uttarakhand, I witnessed something that stayed with me long after the celebrations ended. Watching the election process closely was both interesting and deeply thought-provoking. On paper, it appeared to be a positive sign for gender representation. Many women were contesting for the position of Pradhan […]

In many rural parts of India, women’s potential often remains untapped not because of lack of ability, but due to limited opportunities and societal expectations. However, when the right platforms are created, powerful transformations begin to unfold. These are not just stories of employment, but of courage, self-belief, and leadership. Breaking Barriers: Yuvana Sundhari’s Journey […]

Can your small piece of land become a Kalpataru plot?  We discuss the answers in the third part of this series today. How much land: If you do not want to depend at least on the market for vegetables, then 15 po decimals of land is enough. Even with 6 to10 decimals, this Kalpataru model […]