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TBI Videos: Magadh Jal Jamaat Helps Revive 2000-year old Flood Water Harvesting Systems in Gaya, Bihar

Magadh Jal Jamaat, a loose network of progressive individuals in Gaya has been successfully able to revive over a dozen abandoned water sources and have instilled in people the need to create, clean up and conserve several lakes and ponds in the region. The problem of water scarcity had been of late afflicting the region, which once had a good system of ponds. But through their efforts, the group has managed to revive the traditional methods of irrigation, which are now more effective than the largest irrigation system in the area.

March 20, 2013 / No Comment / Read More

TBI Heroes: Dr. Mapuskar – A Life Dedicated To Improving Rural Sanitation In India

September 6, 2012 No Comment

Dr. Mapuskar has been working relentlessly in the field of rural sanitation for over 50 years now, and helped develop many innovative methods and technologies to create a sanitation revolution even before it was the rising concern that it is today. His principles of community ownership and his search for appropriate technology that suits the Indian conditions have left a legacy that can be adopted all over the nation for maximum impact. He is truly a TBI Hero.

TBI Citizen Initiative: Puttenahalli Lake And Sarakki Lake In Bangalore – Infused With New Life

June 20, 2012 No Comment

This is a tale of two lakes. It is also a tale of inspiration, of dogged perseverance, of citizen initiative and of civil society working in tandem with government agencies to effect change. Members of these lake restoration bodies in Bangalore must be proud, for the beautiful outcome of their (ongoing) efforts is plain for [...]

The Power Of A Story – Rural Women In Sathyamangalam Empowered With Video Cameras

June 11, 2012 No Comment

Women in remote hamlets in Tamil Nadu are being empowered with training in the handling of a video camera and are now producing films to show the reality of their lives and to fight for their rights. Muthu is from Kadambur Village in Sathy, Tamil Nadu. As a girl child, she suffered neglect right from [...]

[Video] Meghalaya’s Living Bridge: An example of sustainable living architecture

November 8, 2011 2 Comments

Meghalaya is one of the world’s wettest regions, receiving some of the highest rainfall ever recorded. One of the challenges that rears-up every year is that of the raging rivers. Crossing these rivers becomes a near impossibility due to the intense rains and wild torrents. However, the people of Meghalaya have been practicing a centuries-old [...]

[Video] Hiware Bazar: The Miracle Water Village

August 8, 2011 1 Comment

Hiware Bazar, which we had written about earlier, continues to be a source of many ideas. First, here are some statistics. India receives abundant rainfall – around 1170mm annually. Yet, there is acute scarcity – largely due to inefficient planning and ineffective water management. Around 450 million people directly live off rain-fed agriculture. Hiware Bazar [...]

[Video] Working women break professional barriers and bring social change

July 26, 2011 No Comment

Arti Kaveriappa is a mechanic and runs a garage in Bangalore. A group of 8 women mountaineers scaled Everest. A village in Rajasthan trained its women to build and maintain handpumps. Raj runs her own industrial tool factory. These and many such stories are profiled in this short film titled “Breaking Barriers”. If you are [...]

[Video] Eko: The Resonance of Mobile Banking

July 22, 2011 1 Comment

Salim is a fruit seller and proud father of 3 children. He saves Rs.20-30 each day. He does not have a bank account but has a mobile phone. Guess what..that is enough for him to start banking! This was the premise with which Founder Abhishek Sinha laid the foundation of Eko Financial Services, a novel [...]

[Video] ‘The Musalman’: India’s Only Handwritten Newspaper

July 11, 2011 No Comment

‘The Musalman’ is India’s (and possibly the world’s) only handwritten newspaper. Started in the year 1927 in Chennai, the newspaper is handwritten in Urdu by skilled calligraphers. It is this love of its team for calligraphy and the Urdu language that keeps the newspaper going. This 4-page newspaper is published daily by a team of [...]

SMV Wheels: A Social Enterprise Empowering Rickshaw Pullers

May 28, 2011 1 Comment

Manual Rickshaws are a significant means of conveyance in this country. According to a recent estimate, there are 10 million rickshaw pullers & 20 million push-cart vendors in India. Most of them are victims of exorbitant daily rentals and the mafia that doesn’t allow them to own the rickshaws. Many of them live on pavements [...]