Issue 41
Teacher makes biodegradable sanitary pads for thousands of rural girls so that they don’t miss school during periods
Female menstrual hygiene has been a subject of concern for many international organizations for the past few years. However, about 2 decades ago, a Vadodara based educationalist chose to take matters into her own hands. Swati Bedekar, a teacher by profession started her career as a school teacher in Navsari. While teaching in the school, …
FIRST – HAND [Teenaged Eco-Heroes]
I was born in one of the most densely populated cities of India, Varanasi. It has always been my home. I was 7 years old when I started studying in a school run by a non-profit organization called ‘Bagh Devi Children’s Art School’. My education was free. They provided us with books, notebooks and other …
Uniting faiths and Religions in the most difficult times
San Francisco based ‘United Religions Initiative’ is building the world’s largest interfaith peace network to combat religious hate and misinformation. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in San Francisco, the United Religions Initiative is a global interfaith network that promotes peace and justice by engaging people at the grassroots level. While the prospect of establishing harmony …
Bihar innovator builds a low-cost milk chilling unit for marginal milk farmers so that they can store milk in desired temperatures
Over the years, India has transformed into one of the world’s leading producers of milk and dairy products. Since most of this production comes from marginal farmers, there are difficulties faced when it comes to storing milk. The ideal temperature to store milk and other milk products is 7 to10 degrees centigrade, but most marginal …
North-Eastern human rights activist has saved more than 72000 lives from being trafficked and exploited
Northeast India has remained a geographically isolated region for several years. It shares borders with Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan which has made it vulnerable to human trafficking. Unemployment is a significant issue in Northeast and traffickers exploit the region by making false promises to families who are out of jobs. Women and girls of Northeast are …
US-returned agriculturalist leading a grassroots food revolution in rural Tamil Nadu
Founder of Hillview Organics (US), Mr Shankar had been farming in his 23 acres of land in Vacaville, California since 2008, wherein he supplied fresh organic vegetables and fruits to vegan and organic restaurants. “I got into growing my food due to my daughter’s ill health in her childhood. I became concerned about what I …
Bangalorean friends turn their weekend hobby of teaching specially-abled children into a revolution
Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti were two men living the average corporate life in Bangalore. But there Sundays were different. The duo with their friends would visit an institute for specially-abled children. They would play games, clean the compound and spend time with them. This small and seemingly insignificant habit took a form into U&I …
While some are ready to kill for religion, this Jamia Graduate is using true Islamic values to build peace
“When you don’t agree to disagree, you create space for extremism”. It took me longer than usual to comprehend what Basit Jamal said. He continued “religion was never meant to be a roadblock, if interpreted in the right manner it’s the most peaceful way to resolve conflicts”. Within the first few minutes of the conversation, …