Feature Stories - The Locavore

The Locavore Champions

For Rakesh Koli, Time Moves Differently Out at Sea

Sharvin Jangle and Sarthak Chand
December 24, 2025

Rakesh Koli is a 35-year-old Koli fisherman from Madh Island, Mumbai, and one of the protagonists of the award-winning documentary film ‘Against The Tide’. All photos by Sarthak Chand.

In this photo feature, Sharvin Jangle and Sarthak Chand accompany fisherman Rakesh Koli as he walks them through his daily rhythms, shares sea stories and childhood memories, and speaks of what it means to work with the tide.

View Post

Personal Essay

‘I was made to feel a different kind of shame’

Anjana Shekar
November 24, 2025

Breastfeeding has not been an easy experience for Anjana Shekar. From nipples being squeezed by strangers to home remedies to increase milk production, she writes on the challenges of being a new mother.

View Post

Desi Rice Made the Most Wonderful Bhaat Nu Osaman

Sheetal Bhatt
November 7, 2025

This rice-based drink is consumed in the hills of Dahod and Panchmahal in Gujarat.

View Post

Gunda Na Mor Ni Kadhi Is Only Made During the Brief Springtime

Sheetal Bhatt
November 6, 2025

This kadhi made with glueberry blossoms is still consumed during the brief period of spring in the northeast regions of Gujarat.

View Post

No Meal in Northeast Gujarat Is Complete Without Vaatelo Masalo

Sheetal Bhatt
November 6, 2025

This hand-pounded masala paste is often used in dishes prepared by the Garasia, Dungri Garasia, and Bhil communities in northeast Gujarat.

View Post

From the Fields

When Faced With Water Scarcity, Local Millets and Beans are Hardier Than Peas

Yashvi Shah
November 5, 2025

Kilmora, a social enterprise in the Nainital district, provides farmers with sustainable livelihoods in the face of extreme rainfall and cloudbursts, as well as large spells of scanty rain and snow. All photos by Kilmora.

Farmers working with Kilmora, a social enterprise in Uttarakhand, tell Yashvi Shah how their harvest has halved over the last five decades, especially as sources of water dry up.

View Post

Books on Food

Nothing For The Bin: Lessons from ‘The No-Waste Kitchen Cookbook’

Arina Suchde
October 1, 2025

Arina Suchde’s debut book, ‘The No-Waste Kitchen Cookbook,’ was published in 2023 by Harper Collins. Cover image courtesy of Harper Collins. Cover design by Ramnika Sehrawat. Illustrations by Sayan.

Bruised tomatoes, cauliflower stems, orange peels—what we dismiss, Arina Suchde wants you to begin redeeming. In this excerpt from The No-Waste Kitchen Cookbook, she makes a case for our everyday food scraps as the beginnings of a meal, not its discard.

View Post

Culture

Pickled and Forgotten: Why Meat and Fish Pickles Are Missing From Modern Indian Cookbooks

Sohel Sarkar
September 24, 2025

Everyone pickles, but only some pickle fish and meat, writes Sohel Sarkar.

View Post

From the Fields

Picking and Eating Mahua Flowers in Jharkhand

Yashvi Shah
September 17, 2025

Wild Harvest works with over 50 households, including Fagni Devi’s—who is pictured above—across the Jonha region, around 50 kilometres from Ranchi, Jharkhand, to collect and dry Mahua flowers. All photos by Rishab Lohia.

What happens when an indigenous ingredient earns a largely notorious reputation due to archaic excise policies? How does one reintroduce it to modern diets, while preserving indigenous knowledge? We gather perspectives from four people who pick, eat, and consume Mahua.

View Post

The Locavore Champions

Ganesh Nakhawa on Why He Won’t Be the Last Fisherman of Mumbai

Rhea Dangwal
September 4, 2025

Ganesh Nakhawa is a seventh-generation Koli fisherman, community leader, and one of the protagonists of the award-winning documentary film ‘Against the Tide’. Photo by Ganesh.

Fisherman-activist Ganesh Nakhawa talks to us about navigating tradition and technology, the shrinking coastlines of Mumbai, and what keeps him tied to the sea as a Koli fisherman.

View Post

We’ll Keep You Posted

Login

Sign in with email

Register