Meghalaya’s Paddy Fields Hold More Than Just Rice
Randa Papiah, Toy Sumer, and Hunlang Papiah recall their memories of catching dohthli (snakehead fish) in the paddy fields of Meghalaya during the rice harvesting season.
Resource Library: Archive
“I learned to clean fish from my mother. You have to be careful—the blade must not cut into the fish”
Despite its importance, cleaning fish remains one of the least visible forms of labour in the fisheries economy. Revathi Sunil and Rashmi Sridar document what a day’s work looks like for the women at the Rameshwaram Fish…
“The heat is just too much! But pineapple and roselle juice sell well”
—Ibadapmon Barim, 32, Khweng village, Meghalaya
“Our elders say, if you never put an axe to a mahua tree, it won’t let a person go hungry”
—Kalabai Merawi, 45, Kannai village, Madhya Pradesh
“We have always lived on these islands and gone to sea. How can the state say it does not belong to us?”
—S. Pandiammal, 44, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu
Hands That Brew: The Complexities of Female Labour in the Making of Rice Beer
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.
What Are Seeds, When Not Sold?
Oishika Roy explores experiences of seed savers and scientists to gather proof of relationships between people and seeds beyond that of money: generational, and through the principle of commons.
Gariahat Bajaar’s Shaak Maashis Can Always Predict My Dinner Menu
Golden pumpkin flowers, red roselles, magenta eggplants, and various shades of green everywhere you look. At Kolkata’s Gariahat Bajaar, shaak maashis bring a variety of winter greens foraged from the outskirts of the cit…
The Slow Disappearance of Karal Meen from Rameshwaram’s Fish Markets
Industrial demand is making one of the most affordable species of fish along the east coast of India more expensive. E. Haripriya explores what these ripple effects mean for local kitchens in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu.