The awful tale of no toilets

I am a social researcher and a development practitioner currently handling a project funded by World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Program in six Indian cities. This is a household survey on water and… Continue reading →

The Truth About Women’s Safety

The increased spotlight on “women’s safety” is personally and intellectually very disturbing for me. I work on gender based violence prevention and I’m one of the creators of a technology for personal safety… Continue reading →

Women and Water

Irrespective of which region or state or socio-economic strata one visits, the plight of women remains the same. The only variation is that they face the brunt of all these socially ascribed roles… Continue reading →

I own therefore I am

A couple of months back my cousin and I got talking about the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. It’s a good policy if it can be implemented and Prime Minister Modi is right, having strong,… Continue reading →

Honey I shrunk my dreams

One of my American friends was recently telling me about the difficulties and frustrations young Americans have had to face after the 2008 crisis. The crisis continues to shrink the job market in… Continue reading →

An Illustrated Guide to Feminism

When I was younger I used to find it very easy to say I was a ‘staunch feminist’. With age I started getting confused about what that meant. I never had doubts that… Continue reading →

Black & Blue – The Colours Of Childhood

On a recent school visit for the noble purpose of sensitizing children about child rights and empowering them with the knowledge of the responsibility they bear of fighting for themselves, I came across… Continue reading →

The Other India: A Reality Check

Reality in India is a multi-faceted thing. There is the reality of what we read, watch or hear every day, from Indians scuffling in the heart of New York to ‘freshly minted campaigns’… Continue reading →

A Place to Call home

Back in 2009, I wrote a romanticised take on the life under the flyovers in Mumbai. I wasn’t in the mood of making any social point then and was just curiously observing an… Continue reading →

My War Diary: Gaza My Soul

This is a 51 day war account of the how daily lives during the third war on Gaza unfolded one day to the next for its devastated and grieving citizens. This is a… Continue reading →

Mother’s Little Helper

Earlier this year, I was giving social audit training to a group of women and men in Gumla district of Jharkhand when a toddler of a young mother (a trainee) decided to be… Continue reading →

The Humiliation of Food Poverty: Waste and Want in a Developed Country

An estimated 842 Million people don’t have enough to eat. That is more than the entire population of Australia and Europe combined going to bed hungry on a given day. Food Poverty is… Continue reading →

The Ballad of Guns

This guest blog is real time reporting from the war zone of Iraq where stationed in Baghdad, Aditya Raj Kaul writes about the way life is panning out and his impressions of violence. While… Continue reading →

BAT WOMEN: Self Made Heroes

Women in Purulia, West Bengal, 2013, December Women keeping count of their money, and maintaining a close record of girls under 18 whose families are looking to get them married. They plan to… Continue reading →

“Do I Dare, Disturb the universe?”

These posters have been created by Brazilian illustrator Carol Rossetti. When we saw these, our first thought was “Yes, Yes, Yes, it is okay, it really is okay for women to just be… Continue reading →

AIDS PREVENTION: What’s Worked, What’s Not

2,100,000 people  are living with HIV in India, as per 2012 data.  Using infographics, we show our High Risk Groups by population numbers;  what’s worked and what’s not for the HIV and AIDS prevention/sensitization. … Continue reading →

Giving a Fresh Start to Their Lives

In Gujarat, 4,85,000 children work as child labourers. (Census 2001) As part of the UNICEF – IKEA Foundation partnership on child rights programmes, Child Protection Committees (CPCs) were set up in 3450 villages in Gujarat.… Continue reading →

Child Labour: Does It Strike You?

Children working is a common sight in India – young girls carrying water and/or washing utensils, young boys working in the fields or indulging in activities not compatible with their age such as… Continue reading →

“Give me the Prime Minister’s number”

      Amma is a 73-year old matriarch. A thorough dynamite, if there was ever one. “Why am I not getting the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme? I am eligible… Continue reading →

I WORK AS A ‘HUMAN TABLE’ AT INDIAN WEDDINGS BECAUSE I’M A WHITE GIRL

A telling story about racism, odd job profiles, and the random quirks of status and power and aspirations. One of the comments posted on the article, summed up my own take on it- “the… Continue reading →

8 Words in Google Images

Last week’s campaign by ‘The Logical Indian’ against labelling women went viral on Facebook, and galloped my curiosity about the connotations words carry on their tiny poly-syllabic shoulders. Adjectives being ‘describing words’ were perfect… Continue reading →

When I grow up I will be a good girl

Powerful One and a Half minute video on what little girls are taught: to be sweet, gentle, obedient and settle for what is prescribed. Do watch! Source: This is a body shop Malaysia… Continue reading →

Don b angri sharon

Megha Singh writes about her experiences with domestic help in India and in Singapore. She further elaborates on the life of a maid in Singapore through a creative piece – an email a maid… Continue reading →

Fan of Jugaad!

The image you see above is indeed Jugaad ka Aashirwaad. Make no mistake! This is engineering on LSD, and imagination on innovation-steroids.  We met this spirited gentleman in a village close to Visakapatnam, while… Continue reading →

Living On A Prayer

Guest blogger and journalist Kajal Iyer, narrates the story of fishermen from Tamil Nadu. These fishermen fish close to the nautical borders between Sri Lanka and India in the Indian Ocean. Their tales… Continue reading →

The good Indian girl

  India is ranked the worst country for women’s safety amongst G20 nations. Victim blaming remains sadly prevalent. An inadequate and largely indifferent police and justice system, strong patriarchy and all kinds of… Continue reading →

Bells and Bombs

“We try hard to make the best of the little of we have. But our dreams stand at the closed gates of Gaza Strip, they can’t come in and we can’t go to… Continue reading →

Uprooted

Our guest blog this week is about the travails of the many children of Haitian immigrants in the Dominican Republic who became Stateless one hapless day, as the aftermath of a recent constitutional… Continue reading →

Food For Thought

This article is an adapted version of an op-ed article written by Akansha Yadav for The Hindu in July 2013. It is based on the findings of a pilot social audit carried out… Continue reading →

Uncanny thought-resemblance!

  This beautiful word ‘Sonder’ captures our first thoughts when we launched this blog. The romance of resemblance sure feels good! Read it, see it, feel the beauty 🙂        … Continue reading →

Without Make-Up: The RTE Act

Institutional capacity and commitment to meaningfully implement social schemes in India have been patchy at best, and effete at worst. This blog-post looks at the state of implementation  of the Right To Education Act;… Continue reading →

Claiming NREGA from below

Recently Satyamev Jayate aired an episode on the importance and role of participation and accountability to ensure a well functioning democracy. As the State Programme Coordinator of Social Audit, Accountability and Transparency (SSAAT), Govt of Andhra… Continue reading →

Kinshasa’s street kids

[Photo Credit: AFP. It was used in the article ‘Congo’s street kids choose prostitution over death’. Available at: http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/congo%E2%80%99s-street-kids-choose-prostitution-over-death] —————————————————— Pers-Anders Pettersson’s photo series on the street kids of Kinshasa captures moments in the life… Continue reading →

Being a Single Dad

Single parenthood comes with its share of trials, joys, frustrations and tribulations. It is certainly not easy, not for the mothers, neither for the fathers. A lot is said about single mothers, but not… Continue reading →

Love.Luck.Lust

Three short format stories on three women and their brush with Love, Luck and Lust. Disclaimer: No names have been changed during the writing of this blog.  It would be impossible to trace these… Continue reading →

Why you and me should rise on 14th Feb? And why we should not!

“Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.” – Rumi Artwork credit (from… Continue reading →

Am I colour-blind or is it a grey street?

Recently Afghanistan’s parliament legalised domestic violence and banned any aggrieved party from testifying against relatives. If this bill is signed by the president, it will legally sanction coercion and silencing the victim. Domestic… Continue reading →

Netai’s Story

Netai’s story has no climax. He is a man like any other, but more enterprising. He has not been keeping well. He wheezes often and has a lot of trouble breathing. “So, now… Continue reading →

Hope Floats

Andhra Pradesh coastal area belt is infamous for trafficking and sex trade where a number of targeted interventions for HIV awareness and mitigating violence have been proposed by the Government. For the 12th… Continue reading →