Stories from the Ground

Reviving Tolerance Towards Street Dogs in Urban India

Much has been said about how the growth of Indian cities has affected wildlife, but not enough has been said about the multi-dimensional impacts of urbanisation on street dog welfare. Peaceful co-existence demands cooperative community-led solutions.

Of Safety and Livelihoods: A Life Beyond Tradeoffs in Jharia Coal Mines

A question lingers – is rehabilitation a matter of desperation?

Jharia’s Coal Miners Are Stuck Between Smoky Fires and Crumbling Houses

There is a lot of fire underground. It has been burning for years.

Young Changemakers: The Torchbearers of Changemaking in Law and Justice

What do you young people think of law and justice? Ashoka Law For All Initiative's Report uncovers the inspirations, methods, and hurdles faced by young changemakers in their social entrepreneurial journeys across India.

Revival of Endangered Species Habitats Reflects Nagaland’s Commitment to Biodiversity Conservation

Nagaland has adopted a community-driven approach to preserve species like the Chinese Pangolin, Western Hoolock Gibbon, Blyth’s Tragopan, and the Great Indian Hornbill. What lesson can be learnt from such an approach?

Behind the Facade of Forest Conservation Lay One Lakh Displaced Residents of Khori Gaon

The abuse, mistreatment and erasure of the residents of Khori Gaon in the name of forest conservation is emblematic of the challenges that marginalised residents (being termed as ‘encroachers’) face across the country.

Life in Traffic, Not Fantastic: Why Are Bengaluru’s Roads So Bad?

The poor condition of Bengaluru's roads are well-documented and have been groaned about since time immemorial. Roads are laid in the city only to be dug up again, leaving commuters stuck in traffic for hours on end. But why are Bengaluru's roads so bad? Who is responsible for them? And why is this such a persistent problem?

Where are the Missing Girls of our IITs? Busting Myths Around the “Supernumerary” Seats

Editor’s note: We recommend reading part one of this series, on the leaky pipeline that women endure from school and coaching classes to the...

Where are the Missing Girls of our IITs? The Leaky Pipeline

Women are systematically pushed out of the pipeline that takes them from school, through coaching and the JEE, onto engineering college. At each step of this journey, here's how bright female minds are lost to gender stereotypes and biases, or the ‘leaks’ in the IIT pipeline.