The Women Changemakers of Uttarakhand

I started my professional life training elected women across villages in India with an NGO based out of Delhi. At 22, fresh out of college, with a head full of ideals it was a sobering and humbling experience, one that has shaped many of my life choices and perspectives. These village women, with the right…

Nagaland’s unknown World War II heroes

Intertwined with the history of World War II is that of the Naga hills and its people. We seek out the few surviving Naga veterans to hear their accounts of the great war.

Punjab In Pictures

Some of our favourite photos from our three week journey through Punjab

In Search of Nagaland’s Tattooed Headhunters – Part II

Read Part I here We sit sipping tea and eating surprisingly good chocolate croissants as the sun sets over the Naga hills. All around us are acres of tea estates, waves of short green shrubs punctuated by the occasional tree; the first we have seen in Nagaland. We are outside the village of Shiyong, at…

The Hawker on the Train

Travel in India is best done by train, especially if you are on a budget. There is no better way to cover large distances and train travel in India is fairly comfortable, reasonably reliable and usually entertaining. A big part of the whole train experience is all the snacking that happens on board and no train journey…

Kirtan Das and the Art Village of Orissa

Something about his quiet demeanour stood out, his smile was humble, warm and inviting. His small home, dimly lit by a single naked bulb, was cluttered with rolls of canvas, painting materials and shelves full of curios.

A Glimpse into Tribal Orissa

Travel around India, to the extent that we are attempting to do, is incomplete without an opportunity to interact with the myriad indigenous populations of the country, be it in Ladakh, the Andaman Islands, all over the North East or for that matter in the interiors of any of India’s 28 states.  Recently on the eastern leg of…

The Patan Patola

Patola saris have adorned women of royalty for centuries, but today they are a dying art. Difficult to create in this form, Patola saris today are being made by new age looms and in some place even machines; Mr Salvi is rueful as he tells us this. There is some hope though as Mr. Salvi says that his nephew is being mentored to take over the family tradition, and so Patola will survive, in this family at least, for another generation.