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India Today
12-07-2025
- General
- India Today
Tribal homemaker builds free school for village children in remote Purulia
Far from urban streets and far from official schemes, a tribal woman in Purulia is running a free school out of a tin-roofed mud hut, reaching children who would otherwise be left out of formal Jiling Sereng, a remote village in West Bengal's Ayodhya Hills, 30-year-old Malati Murmu has taken charge where the system could is not a government-appointed teacher. Her school has no blackboards, no staff, and no funds. But every morning, 45 children arrive to learn how to read and write in Santhali, using the Ol Chiki script.'When I came here after marriage, I saw no real schooling,' says Malati. 'So I began with a few children at home.'advertisementA TRIBAL WOMAN 'S MUD-HUT SCHOOL FILLS A GAP LEFT BY STATE While the government struggles to maintain schools in many parts of West Bengal, this small setup in Jiling Sereng has become important for its community. It was never planned by any authority. It grew from local need and one woman's effort. Her effort began with a few children in her home. In 2020, villagers helped her build two small classrooms. Today, she teaches 45 students up to Class children here are from tribal families who had never attended school. 'Now they read and write in their language. That's new for us,' said Sunita Mandi, a local resident. Malati's husband, Banka Murmu, helps manage the school.'There's a government school nearby,' he said, 'but we wanted something of our own.'Malati handles the school while raising two children and managing her home. 'We don't ask for anything,' she said. 'Only that the children come.'As West Bengal's education system faces criticism and lacks the basic infrastructure, this village school and the lady who runs it shows that even with no money or support, learning can still happen if someone steps the fact that she belongs to a tribal community and has limited access to resources, she decided to bring in the appointments. No tenders. Just a classroom born out of need.- EndsMust Watch
News18
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Lakshmi Puri's Novel Reimagines India's Freedom Struggle Through Love, Loss, And Grit
Last Updated: Lakshmi Puri's debut novel brings India's independence era alive through two sisters' journeys, echoing the quiet power of everyday lives shaped by extraordinary times. You know how they say everyone carries a novel within them? I wouldn't have guessed that when I met Lakshmi Puri in Budapest, where she was serving as India's ambassador to Hungary. That was nearly 25 years ago. I was there for one of those 'reporter stories", the kind that takes unexpected turns—but that's a tale for another time. Back then, I couldn't have imagined that the story Puri now tells in her debut novel had already begun to stir inside her. At the international launch of Swallowing the Sun at the stately National Liberal Club in London last week, she revealed that she resumed work on the book after a gap of 22 years. That means she may have been writing—or at least playing at writing—even then, all while navigating an extraordinary career that would later include top roles in the Indian Foreign Service, as Assistant Secretary-General at the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women. Through it all, this novel—set around India's independence—seems to have quietly taken root and refused to let go. Somewhere in the background, it was writing itself long before it got written. The result is a remarkable work of fiction anchored in a period deeply familiar to every Indian. The Indian freedom struggle continues to fascinate us—meeting or even hearing about someone who lived through that time is always compelling. Swallowing the Sun captures the pulse of that era not through sweeping historical dramatics, but through ordinary lives rendered in extraordinary ways. Inspired by the real-life story of her parents—her father, who contributed to drafting the Indian Constitution, and her mother, a rare woman graduate of the time—Puri transforms their lived experiences into characters negotiating the emotional, social, and political upheaval of the era. The novel is not just felt—it is feeling, distilled. At its heart are two sisters, Malati and Kamala, who grow up in a village in Maharashtra and later attend Elphinstone College in Bombay. Malati, spirited and strong-willed, challenges patriarchal, caste, and religious boundaries. She falls in love with Guru, a lawyer she later marries. Their romance is inspired by real letters exchanged by the author's parents, lending the narrative both intimacy and authenticity. These are not stories of simplistic heroism. They are layered with compromise, disillusionment, resilience, and quiet courage—the kind that unfolds in everyday life. Malati's strength is rendered not through grand gestures but in the granular details of experience. This is not the mythologised valour of Jhansi ki Rani, though that too deserves respect. Instead, it is the story of daring to dream, to live, and to persist in the face of contradictions. The novel also includes characters from the British milieu—professors at Elphinstone College, including a fictional younger brother of PG Wodehouse, and a cameo by Annie Besant. These additions expand the texture of the world without turning every encounter into a clash between binaries. Conflicts emerge, but not all are confrontational or ideological. Some are simply, and more compellingly, human. 'I wanted to enrich the global garden of English with exotic plants from India's past and be part of 'the Empire Writes Back' of the Salman Rushdie movement," Puri told me. Indeed, while Midnight's Children is an iconic work, I've never quite warmed to Rushdie's cerebral force or his ornate style. For a felt story, grounded in lived experience, I'd pick Swallowing the Sun any day. First Published: July 01, 2025, 08:49 IST
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Clay walls, check dams and neem leaves: Rural India fights extreme heat with age-old wisdom
Live Events NEW DELHI: As India braces itself for the upcoming scorching summers, rural communities across heatwave-prone states are turning to traditional and low-cost solutions to shield themselves from rising temperatures. From building check dams to planting native trees and adjusting daily routines, villagers are crafting ground-up heat resilience where formal cooling infrastructure is to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the number of heatwave days is likely to increase by up to 7-8 days in northern and western India, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and Pradesh's Barwani district which is among the hottest districts in the country saw temperatures soar above 50 degrees Celsius last the Bijadandi block of Madhya Pradesh's Mandla district, Malati Yadav remembers a time when water was a rare luxury in her small village."There was a severe water crisis in our village. Those who woke up first got water, the rest didn't," she Nargave, a resident of Bhagsur village in Barwani's Rajpur block, described that even walls "felt like they were on fire till 9-10 pm."However, many villagers like Malati and Seema are confronting the upcoming crisis with innovative and low-cost adaptations rooted in traditional Malati and other women of her self-help group are working towards constructing check dams and reviving six village ponds."We now store rainwater to recharge the groundwater and our pumps. There's enough for everyone, even in summer," she explained that with a mix of brick and mud homes, families are turning to traditional architecture to beat the heat. "We coat our mud houses with cow dung and build small thatched rooms from 'Arhar stalks' to allow better ventilation," she said, "Our buffalo's skin burns from the heat and it stops giving milk. It's not just the animals. People, especially women, suffer too -- unable to work, cook, or step out during peak heat hours."Her family uses neem leaves and cotton cloths to keep livestock Jharkhand's Garhwa district, farmers like 40-year-old Kunti Devi now begin their day before sunrise to avoid the punishing midday sun."I get dizzy in the fields by 10 am," she told PTI over the no shelter and irregular water supply, she and her neighbours rely on natural remedies. "We drink chaach (buttermilk), eat light meals and try to stay under tree shade as the heat becomes unbearable," she Uttar Pradesh's Bundelkhand region, known for its parched summers and agrarian distress, farmers are increasingly turning to deep-rooted native trees like ber, neem and aam for shade and Ghamandi Lal, a small farmer from Lalitpur in Madhya Pradesh, said even that's becoming harder."Buying saplings is expensive, and because livestock numbers have fallen, we don't even get enough gobar (manure) anymore. It's a cycle, heat is killing our crops and our ability to fight it."Lal's worries reflect a deeper malaise."Our fields are getting harder. We use more fertiliser and pesticides now, which makes things worse. There are no subsidies for buying climate-resilient plants," he cost of maintaining livestock has also risen. "The fodder is too expensive. Even cows are giving less milk because of the heat," he Maharashtra's Bobalwadi village, Sakela Bhatnagar spreads mango and palash leaves over tin roofs to keep homes cool."We also plant trees like sitaphal and aam not just for business, but for shade," she to Neeraja Kudrimoti, Associate Director at Transform Rural India , such community-led adaptations are vital. "Rural India, where much of the population is engaged in outdoor manual work, lacks access to cooling infrastructure and reliable electricity. Heat waves are not only causing illness but also leading to economic disruptions," she called for localised Heat Action Plans , improved water security, and social protection schemes prioritising rural many districts, authorities are waking up to the urgency."Government advisories now restrict outdoor work from 12 noon to 4 pm during yellow and orange heatwave alerts," said Vishwas Chitale, Senior Programme Lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)."But we must go further. Rural areas need cooling shelters, clean drinking water, and thermal comfort zones to protect their most vulnerable," he added As cities install mist fans and green corridors, rural India is relying on their traditional wisdom and the strength of collective action."Resilience isn't always about high-tech solutions. Sometimes, it's a clay wall, a neem leaf, or a shared pond that holds the key to survival," Kunti Devi said.
The Print
11-05-2025
- Climate
- The Print
Clay walls, check dams and neem leaves: Rural India fights extreme heat with age-old wisdom
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the number of heatwave days is likely to increase by up to 7-8 days in northern and western India, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and Rajasthan. From building check dams to planting native trees and adjusting daily routines, villagers are crafting ground-up heat resilience where formal cooling infrastructure is scarce. New Delhi, May 11 (PTI) As India braces itself for the upcoming scorching summers, rural communities across heatwave-prone states are turning to traditional and low-cost solutions to shield themselves from rising temperatures. Madhya Pradesh's Barwani district which is among the hottest districts in the country saw temperatures soar above 50 degrees Celsius last year. In the Bijadandi block of Madhya Pradesh's Mandla district, Malati Yadav remembers a time when water was a rare luxury in her small village. 'There was a severe water crisis in our village. Those who woke up first got water, the rest didn't,' she says. Seema Nargave, a resident of Bhagsur village in Barwani's Rajpur block, described that even walls 'felt like they were on fire till 9-10 pm.' However, many villagers like Malati and Seema are confronting the upcoming crisis with innovative and low-cost adaptations rooted in traditional knowledge. Today, Malati and other women of her self-help group are working towards constructing check dams and reviving six village ponds. 'We now store rainwater to recharge the groundwater and our pumps. There's enough for everyone, even in summer,' she said. Seema explained that with a mix of brick and mud homes, families are turning to traditional architecture to beat the heat. 'We coat our mud houses with cow dung and build small thatched rooms from 'Arhar stalks' to allow better ventilation,' she says. She said, 'Our buffalo's skin burns from the heat and it stops giving milk. It's not just the animals. People, especially women, suffer too — unable to work, cook, or step out during peak heat hours.' Her family uses neem leaves and cotton cloths to keep livestock cool. In Jharkhand's Garhwa district, farmers like 40-year-old Kunti Devi now begin their day before sunrise to avoid the punishing midday sun. 'I get dizzy in the fields by 10 am,' she told PTI over the phone. With no shelter and irregular water supply, she and her neighbours rely on natural remedies. 'We drink chaach (buttermilk), eat light meals and try to stay under tree shade as the heat becomes unbearable,' she said. In Uttar Pradesh's Bundelkhand region, known for its parched summers and agrarian distress, farmers are increasingly turning to deep-rooted native trees like ber, neem and aam for shade and resilience. But Ghamandi Lal, a small farmer from Lalitpur in Madhya Pradesh, said even that's becoming harder. 'Buying saplings is expensive, and because livestock numbers have fallen, we don't even get enough gobar (manure) anymore. It's a cycle, heat is killing our crops and our ability to fight it.' Lal's worries reflect a deeper malaise. 'Our fields are getting harder. We use more fertiliser and pesticides now, which makes things worse. There are no subsidies for buying climate-resilient plants,' he said. The cost of maintaining livestock has also risen. 'The fodder is too expensive. Even cows are giving less milk because of the heat,' he added. In Maharashtra's Bobalwadi village, Sakela Bhatnagar spreads mango and palash leaves over tin roofs to keep homes cool. 'We also plant trees like sitaphal and aam not just for business, but for shade,' she said. According to Neeraja Kudrimoti, Associate Director at Transform Rural India, such community-led adaptations are vital. 'Rural India, where much of the population is engaged in outdoor manual work, lacks access to cooling infrastructure and reliable electricity. Heat waves are not only causing illness but also leading to economic disruptions,' she said. Kudrimoti called for localised Heat Action Plans, improved water security, and social protection schemes prioritising rural populations. In many districts, authorities are waking up to the urgency. 'Government advisories now restrict outdoor work from 12 noon to 4 pm during yellow and orange heatwave alerts,' said Vishwas Chitale, Senior Programme Lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). 'But we must go further. Rural areas need cooling shelters, clean drinking water, and thermal comfort zones to protect their most vulnerable,' he added As cities install mist fans and green corridors, rural India is relying on their traditional wisdom and the strength of collective action. 'Resilience isn't always about high-tech solutions. Sometimes, it's a clay wall, a neem leaf, or a shared pond that holds the key to survival,' Kunti Devi said. PTI UZM HIG HIG This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
