Articles by Azera Parveen Rahman

In the Banni grasslands of Kachchh in Gujarat, Rasool bhai remembers the time his grandparents would narrate stories of how they would forage for local species of edible grass. The…

An initiative introducing energy-efficient kilns to traditional potters in Kachchh, Gujarat, reduces firing time and firewood requirement, addressing concerns of energy-intensive pottery-making while benefiting both artisans and the environment. Pottery…

At a cheese-tasting event in Chennai recently, one of the cheese varieties on display was marinated feta from fresh goat milk. It was made in a small cheese-making unit in…

“It is just like a human being,” said Mahipatsinh Sodha, a farmer from Gujarat’s Kachchh district, about guggal, a native plant species in the region, which the International Union for…

In the village Tuna that lies by the sea in Kachchh, Gujarat, Razak bhai sat watching the rain clouds gather in the sky. Razak bhai is a potter and one…

It was a long day here, in Kachchh, when we were out in search of Gujarat’s indigenous breed of sheep, the Patanwadi. There are less than 5,000 sheep of this…

In Assam, Bohag Bihu and the kopou phool — the Assamese new year and the foxtail orchid — have an intimate connection. The blooming of this beautiful, pinkish-purple orchid on…

Environmental changes, including changing rainfall patterns and vegetation, have affected Rajasthan’s desert ecology, impacting local flora and fauna. Rajasthan, the desert state of India, was in the news this July…

Children outgrow their things—clothes, shoes, accessories, even toys—fast. At times, within one season. To keep up with this change, some parents often buy new products, while discarding old items. This…

Almost like in an advertisement for a sanitary napkin company, Chandramani Devi of Bihar’s Sitamarhi district said she felt ‘liberated’ after using cloth pads during her menstrual cycle. “It’s a…

As the number of vagaries of climate extremes increases, so has the disproportionate burden on women and children, finds growing evidence. Policies, however, are yet to catch up and reflect…

Assam’s tea growers are battling many challenges — high production costs, low profit margin, labour problems, and of late, coal shortage. Amid all this, they have found a window of…

Camels were once a prized possession for breeders in Rajasthan. Madhavram Raika, a breeder from Pali district, said that his father owned 150 camels. Of these, both young and adult…

A sudden whirlpool in the usually calm waters surrounding the hills of Meghalaya can mean only one thing – a school of frenzied chocolate mahseer, locally also known as Na.rong,…

More than a month has passed since cyclone Yaas hit the eastern coast in May this year, impacting parts of Odisha, West Bengal, and Jharkhand. Improvement in cyclone prediction system…

Tradition is a strong yardstick by which life is followed in the Banni grassland in Kutch. Spread across more than 2500 sq km, this vast grassland — a thriving ecosystem…

When a strong, 6.4 magnitude earthquake shook Assam on April 28 this year, there was panic and mayhem. The earth cracked near the epicentre in the Sonitpur district, and so…

Driving across coastal villages of the Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh, it is difficult to miss the vast swathes of swaying trees on either side of the road. Eucalyptus -…

The month of April, when Rongali Bihu is just around the corner and spring paints every tree with young, delicate leaves and blooming flowers, is Anamika Baruah’s favourite time of…

Thirty-year-old Born Lang Blah from Mawphlang village has vivid memories of his childhood, when men, women, and children would walk downhill to Um Khlaw, the pond to collect water. The…