Antariksha: Celebrating South Asia’s First Feminist Library – SOAS
When Indian author Arundhati Roy, popularly known for her powerful writing, political activism for the sub-altern and open critique of right extremism in India, said, “There is really no such thing as the voiceless. There are only the deliberately silenced and the preferably unheard,” — it resonated with several womxn authors, academics, artists, and creatives in India.
An orchard in the hills: At Himachal’s Thanedhar Estate, lessons in apple picking and history – FirstPost
It’s a sunny August morning in Thanedhar, a quaint village in Himachal Pradesh situated just 80 kilometres north east of Shimla. Kushal Bhalaik
Between high rates of HIV/AIDS and punitive new trafficking laws, India’s sex workers are struggling to assert their humanity – Equal Times
Gauri Dobe vividly remembers the last day of her childhood. It was a summer afternoon, and she had just finished devouring some mangoes. As she battled her tears, Gauri’s mother urged her to finish packing her clothes. Gauri’s uncle said he had secured the 15-year-old a job as a nanny which would allow her to help her family financially in the wake of her father’s death. Although teenage Gauri was nervous, she was also excited to leave her village in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh for the first time. She was going to work in Mumbai, the ‘city of dreams’. But on arrival, Gauri’s life became a nightmare: her uncle had sold her into sex work.
How Meerut’s Kali Paltan Mandir, launchpad for the Sepoy Mutiny, is a beacon of the city’s rebellious spirit – Firstpost
The Augarnath temple, locally known as the ‘Kali Paltan Mandir’, has an interesting story behind its name. During British rule, the Indian soldiers in the regiment were called the ‘Kali Platoon’ (black army). Since the temple was located close to the soldiers’ quarters, it came to be called as the ‘Kali Paltan Mandir’, which eventually went on to become a launchpad for the Great Revolution of 1857.
The Library That Serves as a Safe Space for Muslim Women – ZORA
When Reshma Sheikh told her parents about Saleem, the man she wanted to marry, she met an unexpected response — a tight slap on her face. Saleem, who was from a different community than that of Sheikh, worked with her at a local supermarket.
Indian female farmers going ‘womb-less’ to boost productivity – Al Jazeera English
Maharashtra state, India – Pushpa, a farmer and mother of two, was 26 when she experienced heavy bleeding during her period and abdominal pain. She took medicine for two years until a doctor advised a more serious “cure”.
Kainchi Bazaar: Meerut’s scissor industry faces a slow death amid low profit margins, competition – Firstpost
Kainchi Bazaar, a 350-year-old industry which houses close to 600 units and employs approximately 70,000 craftsmen, was once the pride of Meerut. Since the profit made by businesses is negligible, the newest generation is not being encouraged to take up the profession
What You Aren’t Seeing at This Popular Mumbai Tourist Site – Curiosity Magazine
At the break of dawn, when the air becomes heavy with the smell of soap and begins to buzz with the sound of cloth beaten against stone,
Dharavi’s Kala Qilla, weathered by time and negligence, lives on due to local community’s effort – Firstpost
The earliest memory Dharavi resident Prabhakar Zanke has of the Kala Qilla (black fort) is of him swiftly climbing up the fort and jumping into the
Ragpickers at Mumbai’s Deonar, despite being ‘unsung heroes of sustainability’, battle garbage mafia and state apathy – Firstpost
Mumbai: Nazma migrated to Mumbai nine years ago in the hope of a better life. With hardly any employment opportunities in her village in Bihar, she and her husband had struggled to feed their family of six. The 40-year-old’s dreams for Mumbai were small — she didn’t hope for riches, just enough to get by.