Upcycle coconut shells into a business venture

In 2014 when her husband died, Kanyakumari’s Arokia Anet was left in despair and had two children to raise by herself. To make ends meet, she started working as a construction labourer at a daily wage of Rs 100. Often without fixed work and income, the 48-year-old widow would sell idlis and dosa platters on street corners. “I had […]

A 41 year old police constable trains underprivileged children for government jobs

In 2011, a strange idea struck Ra Se Sivaraj. While working in Kancheepuram, the 41-year-old head constable of the Tamil Nadu Police Department began training young aspirants at his home in Achirapakkam, now part of Chengalpattu district. In the four years, before he was transferred to Villupuram in 2015, Sivaraj trained nearly 30 people who […]

48 year old trains over 5000 women with the use of coconut climbing machine

Once a male-dominated profession, coconut tree climbing saw the entry of many women in the past decade. This is chiefly owing to government initiatives that aim to train them in skills that would help them lead a better life. However, it still needs someone on the ground to train the women and execute its plans. […]

A savior for 10,000+ children

 Pallabi’s life and career have been devoted to the single cause of rescuing children from being trafficked and giving them a better life. In total, she says she has managed to rescue 10,000 odd children by partnering with several organisations. And later on, she started one of her own — the Impact and Dialogue Foundation. The English […]

Lucknow based architect adopts sustainable approach which saves money

In the concrete jungle of Lucknow, where air conditioners and heaters are rampantly used without care, one office in the city stands out. It needs no appliance to control the temperature, humidity, or ventilation, no matter what season it is. Architect Anant Krishna has followed a sustainable approach to design his office — Advance Group […]

Farmer turns banana waste into ropes

When P M Murugesan decided to discontinue his education to join his father’s farming business, he had many ideas in mind. In particular, he wanted to work with the banana plant, being well aware that though farmers end up burning tonnes of banana waste, there’s a utility to each part of the crop.  In 2008, […]

An initiative by a teacher to make robotics affordable and accessible

Growing up in a cramped but loving home in Odisha’s tribal hamlet Aunli, Sakyasingha Mahapatra was inspired by how his father Suresh honed a deep passion for science.  The headmaster of a secondary school in the village, Suresh would push his son to participate in different science exhibitions happening in and around their area. On other occasions, […]

Green warrior wins Environment protection award

 It was the sight of colourful flowers swaying in the lilting breeze that drew him close to Mother Nature as a child. He started sowing seeds and saplings along roadsides and paddy fields. That became a habit. Today, C C Kannan, a 54-year-old daily wager, is recognised as a “green warrior”, who recently received the 25th […]

Autistic teen swims to spread awareness for protection of migratory birds

Navy Sailor Madan Rai’s 14-year-old daughter Jiya Rai on Sunday achieved the feat of swimming 21 km at Chilika Lake in Odisha in three hours 57 minutes. The swimming competition organised jointly by INS Chilka and Veterans Clubs Odisha (VCO) starting from between Krushnaprasad Garh and Kalijai Temple to Balugaon jetty, is dedicated to an […]

Radha Pandey: A teenage girl who rescues children from wedlock

Teenage girl from Jharkhand’s Koderma district is heading a movement against child marriage. Not long ago Radha Pandey had to rebel against evil to demonstrate her will against rampant discrimination against the girl child. She is now part of Kailash Satyarthi-run Children’s Foundation (KSCF) and an inspiration for hundreds of girls. The district administration has […]