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TBI Heroes: Fighting for Freedom from the British to Freedom from Poverty

Saunak Bhattacharyya had an opportunity to meet a 96-year old freedom fighter who changed his outlook on life and made him think deeply on what it is that makes heroes – ordinary men and women who make extraordinary sacrifices so that others around them can live better. Whether through love for his country or love for his fellow human beings, young and old, Mr, Sudhanshu Biswas teaches the values of compassion, perseverance and belief in one’s purpose.

March 18, 2013 / 2 Comments / Read More

TBI Heritage: Acoustic Traditional – Preserving Indigenous Tales, Myths and Legends

October 22, 2012 1 Comment

India is estimated to have about 635 indigenous communities. Each of these groups of people have a unique identity, with their very own brand of culture, traditions and folklore. Unfortunately, most of this knowledge is passed on from generation to generation in the oral form, and in the face of dwindling tribal population, advent of modern education and widespread displacement in the name of development, most of this ancient wisdom is getting eroded. This is where a group of individuals calling themselves Acoustics Traditional are making an effort to preserve the precious heritage.

TBI Heroes: Jyotsna Sitling – A Green Warrior

August 22, 2012 No Comment

Jyotsna Sitling – India’s first female tribal IFS officer is a force to reckon with. She changed the outlook of the Valley of Flowers and undertook several initiatives to ensure sustenance of environmental efforts

TBI Photo Essay: The Varied Hues of Indigenous Art in India

July 20, 2012 No Comment

Elegant black stone pottery from Manipur. Karnataka’s intriguing Chittara paintings. The intricate weaves and stitches of Kashmir. These were some of the items on display and sale at the annual Craft Mela (fair) hosted by Kala Madhyam, a Bangalore based non-governmental organization (NGO) that promotes traditional artisans and their work. This colourful fiesta was held [...]

TBI Women: Village Women Educate Themselves To Manage Money

June 18, 2012 No Comment

The women of West Bengal’s Purulia district have been striding towards change for the last few years now, transforming the livelihood status and economic condition of hundreds of families. Aided by Pradan, a non-profit working on creating sustainable livelihood in the region, it’s a women-powered Self-Help Group (SHG) revolution that has acted as the catalyst. [...]

Protected: TBI Travel: 51 Off Beat Destinations in India – Part 3 (East)

May 28, 2012 Enter your password to view comments.

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Bengal’s Tribal Women Lead Change, Ensure Food-Security and Fight Social Ills

May 23, 2012 No Comment

Tribal women of Purulia district in West Bengal have learnt, with the help of several NGOs and SHGs, to implement efficient water management techniques and multi-crop approach and achieved food-sufficiency in a region that was on the ‘drought-hit’ list in spite of heavy rainfalls. They are now tackling social ills in their villages! It was [...]

TBI Innovations: ZIMBA – A Simple Machine To Quench The Thirst For Clean Water

May 3, 2012 4 Comments

An affordable device that does not need electricity or moving gears but runs only on gravity, is scientist Suprio Das’s answer to water contamination. Nilanjana Nag Pereira reports. Odd as it may seem, innovation and its usage have become inversely proportionate today. Says scientist Suprio Das, “90 per cent of our leading designs are created [...]

Seaweed Cultivation and Mangrove Nursery Projects Bring New Hope to Women in Sunderbans

January 12, 2012 No Comment

Ishika Mondal, 34, works for two hours every day in waist deep water, trying to keep the fragile ‘Gracilaria’ or ‘Seola’ (seaweed) seeds alive at the small experimental seed bank in her village of Harekrishnapur in Sunderbans, West Bengal. “This is our hope for the future. Selling the seaweed every 40 days will bring money [...]

Sweeper-Actor Kailash Stages A Sanitation Success Story

October 31, 2011 1 Comment

Kailash Basfore, 35, is a sweeper by profession. However, he is also an actor. He is part of the Harijan Para Slum Folk Theatre Group that periodically performs plays on the benefits of sanitation in the 52 slums dotting Kalyani, a township located 65 kilometres north of Kolkata in West Bengal. Motivating Kailash and others [...]