Soumya Ranjan called me one day, insisting that the next time I visited Astaranga for our mangroves project, I take a small detour to Manduki village. “They make beautiful handwoven baskets from sea grass,” he said. Sophie, our partner in…
Soumya Ranjan called me one day, insisting that the next time I visited Astaranga for our mangroves project, I take a small detour to Manduki village. “They make beautiful handwoven baskets from sea grass,” he said. Sophie, our partner in…
In the pursuit of authentic artisan stories, certain moments stand out as truly exceptional. Such was the case when we had the privilege of meeting a 93-year-old weaver, whose dedication sees her rising at 4 a.m. daily to practice her…
Being the eldest in my family, I’ve grown up hearing the words “Toi dangor nohoye” or “Tui boro na”—meaning “Aren’t you the eldest?” It was a constant reminder to be more giving, whether it was sharing chocolates, letting my siblings…
As I watched another scooter pass us, with what seemed to be a swan on wheels, my curiosity piqued as to what the occasion was. Everyone seemed to be rushing as if preparing for a grand event. I called one…
Bishnuprasad was born and raised in Rupadaipur, a village with its own quiet pride and deep roots in Odisha’s history. Rupadaipur is the place where Sri Gopabandhu Das began his early education, and his maternal aunt lived here as well.…
We started our journey early in the morning, the hills still half asleep under a pale blue sky. As the road wound past government buildings toward Koraput, we noticed women alighting from autos laden with assortments of goods. Some were…
We often search for magic in grand tales and distant lands, but sometimes it resides quietly within our world, in the hands of artists. Sri Mukanda Rana, who is fondly called ‘Wizard of Clay’, doesn’t use words for his incantations,…
Chitrarekha Debota and Suryakanti Singh carry the traditional art of weaving in their fingertips and in their hearts. Belonging to Muktanagar, a quiet hamlet in Cuttack, life here moves to the rhythm of tradition. Here, more than 700 families have…
My childhood summers are filled with happy memories of Jhulan Pujo, a festival that felt less like a ritual imposed by elders and more like a play day. We were tasked with gently swinging Radha and Krishna on their decorated…
Every time I transit through Bhubaneswar airport, I pause at a wall showcasing magnificent, larger-than-life papier-mâché mask, each one a masterpiece, crafted with such precision that I often wonder about the hands behind their creation. Recently, I had the privilege…
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