Society, Culture, Religion and History

Featured Articles
January 13, 2022 The water structures constructed during the Gond period continue to survive the test of time and provide evidence of the water wisdom of our ancestors.
Kundeshwar lake, Kundam in Jabalpur (Image Source: K G Vyas)
January 2, 2021 Lack of community ownership and local governance are spelling doom for the once royal and resilient traditional water harvesting structures of Rajasthan.
Toorji Ka Jhalara, Jodhpur (Image Source: Rituja Mitra)
December 7, 2020 The new farm related bills will spell doom for women workers who form the bulk of small and marginal sections of Indian agriculture, warns Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAKAAM).
Farm women, overworked and underpaid (Image Source: India Water Portal)
December 11, 2019 Dry toilets have long been hailed as a sustainable solution to the sanitation and waste management crisis facing India today, but have been overshadowed by more modern toilet designs.
A traditional dry toilet. Image: India Science Wire
December 4, 2019 To adapt well & build resilience, climate change strategies need to factor in efforts towards water security, writes Vanita Suneja, Regional Advocacy Manager (South Asia), WaterAid.
Image credit: WaterAid/Prashanth Vishwanathan
December 2, 2019 Water stewardship is an approach predicated on the concept that water is a shared resource and so water risks are also shared risks that everyone in a catchment will face
Picture credit: Romit Sen
"MGNREGA Sameeksha 2012": An anthology of research studies on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (2006–2012) - A report by the Ministry of Rural Development
This report is an analytical anthology of all major research studies done on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA) Posted on 08 Aug, 2012 07:39 AM

This report by Ministry of Rural Development is an analytical anthology of all major research studies done on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA) that were published in various academic journals or came out as stand-alone reports.

Why don't Jarawas of the Andaman Islands have a say in development ? An article from Charkha Development Network
This article discusses the amendments made in the Protection of aboriginal tribes regulation, 1956 and questions its implications for the role of the Jarawas in development Posted on 01 Aug, 2012 05:14 PM

Five months after the infamous Jarawa Video incident featuring scantily clad Jarawa tribal women allegedly dancing for tourists in return for food and money, the Central Government finally acted on the matter by approving the proposed amendments in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956.

Thirst in the land of Malhaar - Aamir Khan focuses on water in the 12th episode of Satyamev Jayate
This episode by Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao highlights the importance of water and its increasing scarcity and on the increasing incidences of conflicts over water Posted on 01 Aug, 2012 12:49 PM

Satyamev Jayate  is a serial produced by Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao and aired  on StarPlus. Each of its 13 episodes take a hard look at one of the various problems facing India today.

Manual Scavenging Act and municipal wastewater workers in India, policy and practice - A dissertation
The problem of manual scavenging in municipal waste water disposal precariously prevails since from colonial regime in India Posted on 31 Jul, 2012 10:20 AM

Indian municipal waste water disposal system generated a "neo scavengers" of municipal waste water workers/ sewer workers in organised occupations.

Solutions on the rehabilitation of manual scavengers were been enacted with the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 .

Impact of climate change on food security in India - A paper published in the journal Advances in Asian Social Science
This paper analyses the food security condition of India during the last few decades and the impact of climate change on food security of India Posted on 24 Jul, 2012 12:14 AM

This paper published in the journal Advances in Asian Social Science analyses the food security condition of India during the last few decades and the impact of climate change on food security of India.

"Aajao Pukur Aamader" by Nirupama Adhikari - Bengali translation of Anupam Mishra’s book “Aaj Bhi Khare Hain Talaab”
This book titled “Aajao Pukur Aamader” is the Bengali translation of Anupam Mishra’s book in Hindi “Aaj Bhi Khare Hain Talaab” which has been a runaway success for several years. Posted on 21 Jul, 2012 09:49 PM

cover pageAnupam Mishra is an environmental activist and currently works with the Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi. The inspiring contribution dealing with the indigenous water systems of central India has been translated by Nirupama Adhikari into Bengali.

"Taral Darpane Samajer Mukh" by Joya Mitra – Bengali translation of Anupam Mishra's booklet "Tairne Wala Samaj Doob Raha Hai" on floods in Bihar
This is the Bengali translation of Anupam Mishra’s book “Tairne wala samaj doob raha hai” written in the context of the floods in the Kosi river in Bihar in 2004. Posted on 21 Jul, 2012 04:19 PM

cover page

 The second edition of the book came out in 2008 just after the devastating Bihar floods in the year when the river thundered down from the Himalayas on its way to the sea sweeping half of Bihar.

Ek dozen pani - Twelve stories on the passage of water in Mumbai and its relation with everyday lives - Films by Aakansha Sewa Sangh, Agaaz, Arts Collective CAMP and Nikhil Anand
This film traces the journey of how residents of Mumbai form relationships with water and its related infrastructure Posted on 14 Jul, 2012 05:07 PM

As part of an investigation into the social life of water in areas in Mumbai, Ek Dozen Paani is a collaborative project between youth of two community organisations namely, Aakansha Sewa Sangh and Agaaz, Arts Collective CAMP and anthropologist Nikhil Anand and includes twelve s

Privatisation of water services in New Delhi : Myth and reality - Report by Water Privatisation - Commercialization Resistance Committee
This booklet argues that are attempts being made in India to privatise and commodify water, which is a retreat from our constitutional and economic duty and from our own human obligations Posted on 09 Jul, 2012 12:40 PM

Residents of Delhi have been protesting against privatisation of water atleast since 2005.

Drops do not discriminate: Addressing inequities and inequalities in access to water and sanitation in India - A short film by WaterAid, India
This video sheds light on the deteriorating water and sanitation situation in the country and questions the efforts being made at the policy level to deal with the situation Posted on 06 Jul, 2012 03:07 PM

The video by  WaterAid, India points at the lack of awareness, planning and the poor water management practices in the country that have led to this situation by highlighting that even though the rainfall in India is in surplus with 1170 mm of rainfall every year, we continue to face scarcity of water every year.

×