Stories - The Locavore

Hands That Brew: The Complexities of Female Labour in the Making of Rice Beer

Rini Barman
May 26, 2026

The dhuasang above the clay-stove, or where the rice beer cakes are dried on rainy days in a Deori household. All photos by Rini Barman.

Traditional drinks are often regarded as repositories of culture. In Centrepiece, Rini Barman explores some of the less romantic aspects of this practice and the many implications of the act of brewing rice beer.

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Culture

Stable Income, Drinking Water, Rest: A Delhi-based Gig Worker on Unionising for Basic Labour Rights

Shreya Bansal
May 24, 2026

The wage system for gig work is opaque and inconsistent; today, most platform delivery riders wouldn’t know their base wages. Graphic by Anugraha Mahesh. Photos used: By Zoshua Colah on Unsplash, and by CJ on Unsplash.

Saif, a rider with multiple quick-commerce platforms in Delhi, asserts that urban India can no longer do without doorstep delivery. Why, then, does gig work remain undignified?

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Personal Essay

Salt, According to Taste

Sonakshi Srivastava
April 21, 2026

Cooking and translating are acts of active seeking. Illustration by Anugraha Mahesh.

Cooking, like translating, sits at the liminal intersection between what can be measured and what is driven by instinct.

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Culture

Famine, Migration and The History of Bengal’s Zero-Waste Culinary Culture

Suman Mahfuz Quazi
April 17, 2026

In Bengal’s kitchens, curdled milk becomes sandesh; vegetable peels become khosha bhaja and bata; and fish is relished from scale to tail.

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Stories

Support Vidyun to Provide Well-rounded Nutritious Meals to 100 Children

The Locavore Team
April 15, 2026

At this afterschool centre in Ahmedabad, food is an immersive part of the learning experience—helping children build connections, think critically, and engage with the world in deeper, more meaningful ways. Help The Locavore in raising ₹3,00,000 to sustain Vidyun’s Meal Programme which will provide 100 children with nourishing meals for the academic year of 2026–27.

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Stories

Our Favourite Stories On Food and Labour

Deepshika Pasupunuri
April 9, 2026

Want to familiarise yourself with this quarter’s theme? Here are ten stories we think you’ll love, recommended by the Local Food Club team!

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Culture

Making Well-rounded Nutrition Exciting at an Afterschool Centre in Ahmedabad

Yashvi Shah
April 6, 2026

At Vidyun, an afterschool centre with a robust meals programme, children are learning about nutrition, science, and food history along with their evening snacks.

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The Locavore Champions

Neiwekha Akami Is One of the Last Paddy Farmers Preserving Aged Rice

Dr. Konjengbam Ramit Singh
March 31, 2026

In Nagaland’s Losami village, Neiwekha Akami is one of the last paddy farmers preserving aged rice.

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Stories

India’s honey exports are rising exponentially, but at what cost?

Mukta Patil
March 25, 2026

Even as small-scale producers struggle to harvest honey amidst climatic stressors and environmental degradation, India’s honey production continues to grow significantly, largely through a policy push that encourages the use of the European Bee, while sidelining native bees and their habitats.

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