Video | “India’s hidden hotbeds of invention”: Anil Gupta and the Honey Bee Network on TED.com

Anil Gupta is on the hunt for the developing world’s unsung inventors — indigenous entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, hidden by poverty, could change many people’s lives. He shows how the Honey Bee Network helps them build the connections they need — and gain the recognition they deserve. Anil Gupta created the Honey Bee Network to support … Read more

“Indigenous economics is one of the keys to climate action”: UN Equator Prize for Nilgiri tribal collective providing value-added products – Tamil Nadu

Aadhimalai, winner of UN Equator Prize from Nilgiris, offers a lesson in indigenous economics Traditional healer Janakiamma (60) belongs to the Kurumba community. An indigenous community in south India, Kurumba is listed by the government of India as one of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups or PVTGs in India. […] As the discourse around the … Read more

“Pithora paintings are soaked with religious and cultural significance”: Acclaim for Padma Shri Artist Bhuri Bai – Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh-based Bhuri Bai has experienced acute poverty first hand and has also worked as a child labourer just to be able to afford one square meal. When she was 10, her house was burnt down in a fire, so her family built a makeshift house from hay and lived there for years. […] Bhuri’s … Read more

Sacred groves: Traditional practice and modern ecology

Sacred groves are maintained by many tribal communities across India like the Santals and tribal communities in the Nilgiri mountain range of Tamil Nadu, adjoining Wayanad District, and the Kaani community Kanyakumari region on both sides of the border between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Some of their ancestral forests, sacred streams and mountains are now … Read more

Integration or isolation? A “Down To Earth” discussion on the fate of the Jarawa tribe – Andaman

Contact with the outside world has exposed the Jarawas to various dangers. Is isolation the best way to conserve? A debate Numbering around 400, people of the Jarawa tribe occupy the lion’s share of land in South and Middle Andaman Islands, earmarked as Jarawa Tribal Reserve (JTR). This irks leaders of political parties and businesspeople, … Read more