Author: sampurnaa0409

In the hills, time does not always move according to a fixed schedule. It stretches, pauses, and often depends on factors that are beyond immediate control – the arrival of a vehicle, the completion of daily chores, or the availability of people. What might be considered a “delay” elsewhere is often a normal part of […]

In the quiet villages of Uttarakhand, there is a silence that wasn’t always there. It is not the peaceful silence of the hills, but one shaped by absence of young voices, of bustling activity, of lives that have slowly moved away. Migration has become a defining reality of the state, especially across regions like Kumaon […]

When people think about working in the health sector, the focus is often on services, systems, and outcomes – counselling sessions conducted, visits completed, data recorded. What is less visible, however, is the emotional work that quietly runs alongside these tasks. During my initial field visits, I did not anticipate how much of this work […]

I have always been someone who liked clarity. Clear plans, clear answers, clear outcomes; there was a certain comfort in knowing what comes next. Even when things were uncertain, I would try to organise them in a way that made them feel manageable. But over the past few months, I have had to sit with […]

Public health systems are often understood through policies, schemes, and institutional frameworks. However, their functioning becomes most visible at the last mile in rural areas where systems, people, and practices intersect on a daily basis. During my fieldwork in the Pati block of Champawat district in the Kumaon region, I had the opportunity to closely […]

The first awareness session that I facilitated on anemia and healthy dietary practices was a very special experience for me. Since the beginning of my fellowship, I have been working closely with adolescents, and my project primarily focuses on them. Over time, I have built a friendly and comfortable bond with the students, which made […]

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 […]

In the hills of Uttarakhand, festivals are not just occasions marked on a calendar; they are lived experiences, deeply rooted in nature, memorya nd community life. One such festival that captures this essence beautifully is Khatarua, celebrated across the Kumaon region with warmth, energy, and a strong sense of togetherness. Khatarua is observed in mid-September, […]

On 9th February 2026, during my exposure visit to Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS) in Bhuj, I spent time engaging with the Samvedna programme. Among all the powerful initiatives the organisation runs, this was the one I was most keen to understand. I had carried a quiet curiosity about it even before the visit, perhaps […]

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, […]