Voices of Rural India

A curated platform for rural storytellers

Voices of Rural India
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  • Home
  • About
    • The Initiative
    • The Team
    • Our Partners
    • Our Volunteers
  • Stories
    • States
      • Gujarat
      • Himachal Pradesh
      • Kerala
      • Ladakh
      • Maharashtra
      • Meghalaya
      • Uttarakhand
    • Languages
      • Hindi
        • Written (Hindi)
        • Audio (Hindi)
      • Dangi
      • Gujarati
      • Marathi
      • Malayalam
  • Get involved
    • Partner
    • Volunteer
    • Contribute
  • Contact
  • Contribute
Link 1
Nature
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Culture
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Sustainability
  • Did he choose his destiny or did his destiny choose him?

    February 13, 2021 /

    In this time of kalyug, one man embarks on a journey of sacrifice and penance in search of truth and knowledge

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    Chhering Norbu
  • A Himachali Festival Where a Deer Dances at Every Door

    January 22, 2021 /

    A student from Kullu shares how Himachali children celebrate “Haran” – featuring deer, music and long walks in the dark – during the renowned Kullu Dussehra festival

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    Kanika Mehta
  • The Village Deity who Protects her People from Pandemics

    January 11, 2021 /

    Over a hundred years ago, a strange illness hit Maharashtra's Purushwadi village, writes a teacher as he explores faith in the local deity

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    Mahadu Chindhu Kondar
  • Where Every Home Carries an Imprint of Local Belief

    December 17, 2020 /

    A 21-year old girl from the quaint Bihar village of Himachal Pradesh narrates how the architectural design of her village houses carries the imprint of local belief systems

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    Divya Bhiyar
  • How Love Has Changed Over Four Generations

    December 8, 2020 /

    What if you were married off at seven? Or 13? What if you had to elope from a country fair? A brave, young woman, who married for love two decades ago, writes about pride and prejudice, and love, in the mountains near Munsiari

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    Rekha Rautela
  • The Rise and Fall of a Great River

    November 27, 2020 /
    tirthan river

    An ex-police officer from the Ropajani village of Himachal Pradesh writes about his childhood by the Tirthan River and the dire need to conserve it

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    Paras Ram Bharti
  • The Walking Library

    November 16, 2020 /
    books on bookshelf

    In the hilly Mothakkara village in Kerala’s Wayanad district, a 63-year-old woman walks several kilometers every day for those who love to read but have no easy access to books

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    Radhamani K. P.
  • The Forbidden Forests of Meghalaya

    October 31, 2020 /

    A social worker from Meghalaya's Chiringmagre village shares how ancient traditions and tribal culture help preserve a patch of pristine biodiversity in Meghalaya’s South Garo Hills

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    Witerson M. Sangma
  • How a Remote Ladakhi Valley Transformed from Hunting to Conserving Wildlife

    October 25, 2020 /

    A social activist from Ladakh shares the story of Markha Valley’s incredible transformation into a place where humans and wildlife coexist in peace; where one might just spot a snow leopard from a rooftop!

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    Sonam Nurboo
  • Tigers, Peacocks and Forests on Fire

    October 18, 2020 /

    Have you ever witnessed a hunt in the high Himalayan meadows? A rare pageantry of peacocks in the forest? Here’s a heartfelt ode to Nature (and a plea) from a girl who knows what’s truly great about the Great Himalayan National Park!

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    Soniya Thakur
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@voicesofruralindia

In the high mountains of Ladakh, a postman travels In the high mountains of Ladakh, a postman travels on foot through the dramatic Lungnak Valley to deliver mail. En route, he discovers letters of a different kind - petroglyphs or ancient stones carved with inscriptions! 

"My job as a postman gives me the freedom to roam about, connect with my community and explore my fascination for petroglyphs – ancient stones carved with inscriptions, dating as far back as the Bronze Age! We consider these stones sacred...Many petroglyphs tell a story...Some have been carved by travellers of yore, with different symbols, in different languages, depicting different religions", writes Tenzin Choejor.

Choejor emphasises the urgent need to preserve these stones. Many have already been lost to negligence or ignorance. Some have been buried due to road construction. Some are being used for advertisements! 

Discover the stories behind these ancient stones in Chojeor's story "Letters from the Bronze Age". Read or watch video snippets through the link in our bio or on voicesofruralindia.org
Excited to announce a partnership with the fantast Excited to announce a partnership with the fantastic folks at @outlook_responsibletourism who will be republishing stories from Voices of Rural India 😊 

The first feature is none other than Trilok Singh Rana's exquisite photo story documenting the lost art of wood-carving, or "Likhai", in Munsiari. 

Read here: https://www.responsibletourismindia.com/inspire-me/voices-of-rural-india-the-disappearing-craft-of-likhai/573 

We're super happy that these stories will reach more readers across the country!

#voicesofruralindia #storiesofindia #digitalstorytelling #digitalindia
*MEET THE STORYTELLER* Kanika loves teaching and w *MEET THE STORYTELLER* Kanika loves teaching and wants to be a teacher in a school someday. She presently studies Arts at Banjar college with Hindi as the main subject. Trekking and reading stories about culture are some of her favourite things. 

In her first story for Voices of Rural India, Kanika throws light on a beloved village festival called 'Haran' where children dress up in a deer costume and go dancing from house to house!💚

"Two kids wear the costume – the kid in the front stands, while the one behind stoops... Haran is taken out only during the night, never during the day... I am afraid of the dark, so when I used to participate in the celebration, the elders would make sure I was positioned in the middle of the group. One night during Haran, while walking through the fields, I fell down as I was inside the deer costume. The kid standing in front of me fell down with me too! All the other kids burst into laughter. We quickly got up and started dancing in a funny way to make the others laugh even more. It was quite a sight!", muses Kanika.

Read this delightful story yet? 😁 Show Kanika some love! Head on over to our bio link or voicesofruralindia.org to read, share, comment!
*NEW STORY* Kanika Mehta shares how Himachali chil *NEW STORY* Kanika Mehta shares how Himachali children celebrate “Haran” – featuring deer, music, and long walks in the dark during the famous Kullu Dussehra festival. 

It's time for Haran when the mountains echo with children singing to the beat of drums - "Come out of your homes! There's a deer dancing at your door!" 

Head on over to voicesofruralindia.org or click our bio link to read Kanika's beautiful story 😊

Supported by: @himalayanecotourism
Faraway in Tirthan Valley, the community in Bihar Faraway in Tirthan Valley, the community in Bihar village celebrates local festivals almost every month. However, the month of Magh Mahina is extra special.

As snowfall envelops the mountains, seemingly sleepy villages come to life with festivities and food!⁣
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Soniya Thakur gives us glimpses into the Magh Mahina festival and its culinary traditions through her story, “In the Cold Himalayan Winter, a Celebration to warm the Heart”. ⁣The perfect read to snuggle up with on a winter afternoon ☕
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Soniya’s story also happens to be the first one we published on Voices of Rural India. Seems like ages ago! 😳💚

Read on voicesofruralindia.org or through our bio link.
*MEET THE STORYTELLER* Mahadu is a teacher, a mast *MEET THE STORYTELLER* Mahadu is a teacher, a master trainer, and a senior guide-cum-facilitator in Purushwadi village. He's also the go-to person for sustainable community projects such as watersheds adapted to climate change and local needs. He takes a keen interest in reading, writing, and documenting the old way of life in Purushwadi. ⁣
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In his third story for Voices of Rural India, @mahadu.kondar.23 describes his community's unwavering faith in Jakhubai - the village deity and enduring symbol of femininity. There are no Shiv, Hanuman, Krishna, or Vitthal temples in Purushwadi, but the presence of Jakhubai has always been celebrated over nine days of Navratri. ⁣
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Have you read his amazing story? Head on over to the link in our bio or on voicesofruralindia.org in case you still haven't 😊
*NEW STORY* Over a hundred years ago, a strange il *NEW STORY* Over a hundred years ago, a strange illness hit Maharashtra’s Purushwadi village. But the village found strength in its local deity and continues to lean on her to this day.

⁣"When news of the Coronavirus pandemic reached Purushwadi, many people felt that only the name Corona is new, but the symptoms of this disease are old. They followed the guidelines, but also kept faith in Jakhubai in order to keep her protection", writes Mahadu Chindhu Kondar, a teacher who grew up here. @mahadu.kondar.23

A beautiful narrative on exploring (and keeping) faith, especially in times that have tested all of us. Read Mahadu's story in Marathi/English through the link in our bio or on voicesofruraindia.org 😊

Supported by @grassroutes
The people of Sarmoli village in Uttarakhand are c The people of Sarmoli village in Uttarakhand are celebrating the Ghughuti Festival⁣ today 💚
⁣
Ever pictured yourself at a feast where the guests of honour are black crows? While it⁣ sounds like a chapter from a novel, you can experience this first-hand in the⁣ mountains of Uttarakhand.⁣
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Kamla Pandey from Sarmoli describes the history and traditions of this festival in her story “A Mountain Festival to thank the Crows".
⁣
Every January, the serene Sarmoli village prepares a feast for the black crows of Kumaon!⁣ As part of the Ghughuti festival, people cook the first dishes of the day in the crows’ honour.⁣ Ghughuti is a local delicacy made by kneading wheat flour with jaggery and ghee in milk,⁣ and then deep-frying them in oil.⁣
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Find out more through Kamla's lovely story. Read in English or Hindi through the link in our bio, or on www.voicesofruralindia.org
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Cover image: Abhijit Kar Gupta with permission. © All content on this site is copyrighted and cannot be used without explicit permission.