iVolunteer Blog - everything about volunteering

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, […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Every time a brutal rape case shakes the country, the public response is immediate and intense- “Hang them.” It feels like the only proportionate response to something so deeply violent and violating. And I understand that reaction. Sexual violence is not an abstract crime. It is a […]

In development practice, analysis often begins with numbers-coverage rates, compliance percentages, savings generated, and beneficiaries reached. During my fieldwork in rural Uttarakhand, I too worked within such frameworks, documenting kitchen gardens that had begun producing vegetables, recording the savings households generated through home-grown produce, and tracking postnatal mothers’ consumption of iron and calcium supplements. However, […]

Everyone has experienced FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), which comes when you see that others are moving ahead and you are missing out on opportunities at some point in your life. But have you ever felt bad about being in a good situation? It happened when I was conducting outreach to expand the Hamari Bakhli […]

The sun rose bright today. As I opened the tin door, I noticed that more dried jackfruit leaves than usual had fallen in the yard. I was about to quickly sweep them away and head off to wash the dishes when Tribeni appeared. She hurriedly reminded me about some preparations and left just as fast. […]

I still remember my very first solo travel. The nervous excitement, the heavy bag on my shoulders, and the endless stream of thoughts in my mind. It felt like stepping into the unknown, where every small decision carried a weight I had never experienced before. Finding the right bus, asking strangers for directions, figuring out […]