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
  • From nomadic roots to social entrepreneurship in Ladakh

    March 17, 2021 /

    From creating local employment to donating solar lamps to nomads in a remote Ladakhi region, a 38-year-old semi-nomadic entrepreneur from Leh is taking everyone along to develop a flourishing ecosystem that supports local artisans

    Go to story
    Nawang Phuntsog
  • The Magical Flying Lanterns of Purushwadi

    March 3, 2021 /

    A teacher and guide from Maharashtra’s Purushwadi village introduces the magical world of fireflies – and a monsoon festival to inspire their conservation

    Go to story
    Mahadu Chindhu Kondar
  • 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

    Go to story
    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

    Go to story
    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

    Go to story
    Witerson M. Sangma
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@voicesofruralindia

“On 20th April, 1962, in a Gongma home in the vi “On 20th April, 1962, in a Gongma home in the village of Pooh in Kinnaur district, a baby boy named Govind Singh was born. While pregnant, his mother Sonam Chhodon felt a divine presence and had vivid dreams that an enlightened being is going to be born to her. So when the baby arrived, the family visited the local Guru in the area and asked to know his future.

The Guru ji stated that in his previous birth, Govind Singh was a devoted yogi. He predicted that even in this birth, the boy would renounce his household responsibilities and travel in search of truth and knowledge. The boy’s father, Gelek Pasang (alias Gurdayal Singh), was disappointed to learn this. He wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and become a farmer and businessman.

A few months after he was born, a prominent Ladakhi lama (monk), through his meditative power, realized that the child born in Pooh village, in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, on the full moon day of April, is the reincarnation of a great yogi. He sent a search team of lamas and representatives to the village. However, his father, who did not want his only son to renunciate the world and become a lama, told the Ladakhi team that no child had been born in their home!”

Read the intriguing story ‘Did he choose his destiny or did his destiny choose him?’ by our star Spitian storyteller @chhering.norbu on voicesofruralindia.org or via the link in our profile. Switch to the Hindi version for the original story!

As always, we’re proud to bring you stories and legends from rural communities across India, in their own voices 💚

📷: Manyata Goyal via @spitiecosphere 

#voicesofruralindia #spitivalley #himachalpradesh #incredibleindia #digitalindia
One of the most popular stories on @voicesofrurali One of the most popular stories on @voicesofruralindia still is a photo story by birding guide and photographer @trilok_rana_munsiari of Shankhdhura village in Uttarakhand - documenting the disappearing craft of likhai (wood carving).

He shares:

“This is a window frame in a 50-year-old house that still stands in my village. Unfortunately, the craftsmen who made it are no longer around, and their offspring do not continue this craft either.

The fine work on carving walnut wood requires an investment in time. But today, people who build new homes are not willing to pay the artisans the right amount for their skill and craft. You do not get to see such traditional door frames in new homes anymore, and you can barely find skilled artisans who still know the art of Likhai...”

Check out the link in our bio or go to voicesofruralindia.org to see this stunning photo story and appreciate the disappearing art of likhai. Leave your thoughts for Trilok in the comments below 👇🏼

Supported by @voicesofmunsiari 

#voicesofruralindia #uttarakhandtourism #likhai #woodcarving #incredibleindia
In the latest story for Voices of Rural India, Naw In the latest story for Voices of Rural India, Nawang Phuntsog @phuntsogteri - born into a semi-nomadic family in Ladakh’s Changthang region - writes about his journey towards social entrepreneurship! 

An excerpt:

“In 2010, I left my job as a technician to embark on the entrepreneurial journey. My semi-nomadic roots and my immense love for the Changpa nomads and their animals were my motivation. Since my mother is from a nomadic family, we often have many nomadic guests coming to our house.

I still remember how during my childhood, they used to bring salt loaded on their sheep and exchanged that with us for barley or fodder for their animals. They didn’t have easy access to these essential things. I very much understood and still understand their hardships and struggles. Thus, to honour my heritage, I started my own venture by the name — @nomadicwoollenmills 👣 My sole aim was to utilise all my learnings to create an ecosystem that offers employment to local artisans, besides creating beautiful pashmina products.”

Head to the link in our bio or voicesofruralindia.org to read about his inspiring journey - and share your thought for him in the comments below; we’ll relay them all the way in Ladakh! 

Supported by @globalhimalayanexpedition 

#voicesofruralindia #ladakh #socialentrepreneurship #incredibleindia #storiesofindia
“Come June, tiny and shiny fireflies light up th “Come June, tiny and shiny fireflies light up the night skies in my village, Purushwadi, in the Western Ghats of India. Their sight brings back nostalgic memories of childhood and innocence.

When I was a kid, I’d look at the little insects and wonder, how do they get their light? Why are they only visible during the monsoons every year and not in other months? But the thrill of their sight would soon substitute the curiosity and questions in my mind and I’d run along with the other children with a towel or rag in hands. When we’d see shining, flying fireflies, we’d drop them to the ground with the help of the towel and then put the fireflies in discarded glass bulbs or bottles. We’d then run in the dark through the lanes and alleys shouting “Light! Light!”

In his latest story for Voices of Rural India, @mahadu.kondar.23 - a teacher and guide from Maharashtra’s Purushwadi village - writes about the magical fireflies in his backyard and the need to conserve them. 

“About 20-25 years ago, millions of fireflies would light up trees, shrubs, and even courtyards and homes in Purushwadi in the evenings during the initial months of monsoon. In the current times though, the population of fireflies has drastically declined...”

Read his beautiful story at the link in our bio or on voicesofruralindia.org - and tell us if you’d like to experience this magic in Purushwadi someday? 

Supported by @grassroutes 

#voicesofruralindia #maharashtratourism #maharashtra_ig #purushwadi #ruralindia
One of our favourite storytellers at Voices of Rur One of our favourite storytellers at Voices of Rural India - @chhering.norbu - is back with yet another fascinating story from the higher reaches of the Himalayas!

In “Did he choose his destiny or did his destiny choose him?”, Norbu writes about a great yogi, who despite all odds, in this age of kalyug, embarked on a journey of sacrifice and penance in search of truth and knowledge.

An excerpt: 

“1.5 kilometers north of Demul village in Spiti, where I was born, is a very old cave named Khabsa. Engraved in its rocks are many ancient symbols that attract devotees from far and wide. Over thousands of years, in this very cave, many dedicated men from Demul and other regions of the Himalayas have achieved wisdom and enlightenment through extreme penance.

One wise man among them is Tenzin Lundup, also known as the “Yogi of the Himalaya”. I have had the good fortune to receive his blessings multiple times, and last year I was lucky enough to hear about the journey of his life directly from him. Along with other saintly men hailing from Maling village in Kinnaur, he stayed in the Khabsa cave for a month. This is his story.”

Read this deeply moving story in English or Hindi at the link in our profile or on voicesofruralindia.org! Leave your comments for Norbu below so we can relay them to him in Spiti when he appears on “signal hill” next 😉

Supported by @spitiecosphere 

#voicesofruralindia #indiatravel #digitalempowerment #spiritualindia #spitivalley
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!
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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.