The ‘Gujarat Model’ – The Rising Malnutrition Amid Economic ‘Growth’
Sheela, a tribal activist from Devgadh Mahila Sangathan, Anandi Foundation, has dedicated her life to fighting for the rights of Adivasi and Dalit communities in Gujarat’s Dahod district. Her work has revealed a grim reality that contrasts sharply with the glowing narratives of Gujarat’s economic success. She takes Newsreel Asia into the heart of this crisis, introducing us to Anita Naik, a mother in Lawaria Village. Anita, like many others, struggles to keep her children alive. One of her children tragically passed away, while her three-year-old son, Rajesh, was born blind and with severe physical deformities—a devastating consequence of the silent malnutrition crisis in the state.
Blood and Ballots: Political Violence in West Bengal
Ajaharuddin, a primary school teacher, witnessed his family's life take a devastating turn when his brother was allegedly attacked by workers affiliated with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party, just a day before the 2023 Panchayat elections in West Bengal. The incident revealed the perilous state of democracy in their village.
A Poet’s Struggle with Borderline Personality Disorder
Meghna Prakash, a poet and mental health therapist, shares her struggle with a mental health disorder. Recording episodes of her past experiences as she coped, she provides deeply personal insights into her condition. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) affects about seven in 1,000 individuals in India, with women being more commonly afflicted, according to estimates. Worldwide, BPD impacts around 1.4% of the adult population. Meghna's story shows the impact of one of the numerous mental health issues that are frequently misunderstood and neglected in India.
Displaced Dreams – West Bengal’s Unemployment Crisis
Amal, 27, is a migrant worker from West Bengal’s Purulia district who was forced to leave his village due to a lack of local job opportunities. The recent halt in funding for schemes like MGNREGA in this state has worsened his struggles, pushing him to migrate to different states in search of work. Leaving behind his wife and ailing mother, Amal’s story reflects the harsh realities faced by rural workers dealing with unemployment, migration and the collapse of social safety nets.
Odisha Tribals Demand Justice For Their Land and Livelihood
Umakant Naik, a resident of one of the many villages tucked away at the foothills of Sijimali Hills, is a firsthand victim of an ongoing tussle between local tribal villagers, a mining giant and the State. Known locally as Tijimali, the Sijimali Hills are home to nearly 50,000 residents, primarily from Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes, whose lives are deeply connected to the region’s forest, water and land resources. The mountain streams provide drinking water, while timber and wood offer shelter and fuel. Agriculture and forest resources sustain their daily needs. The “Tij Raja,” a spiritual presence believed to dwell in the hills, serves as a cultural and spiritual anchor for the community. But this harmonious way of life is now at risk.
Swallowed by the Sea: Odisha’s Climate Refugees Fight for Livelihood
Prasanna serves as the sarpanch of Satabhaya Gram Panchayat in Odisha. Satabhaya, once a cluster of seven villages, is believed to be the first region affected by climate change in India. Prasanna, who spent over two decades as a migrant worker in Kerala before returning to his village, recounts the heartbreaking story of his coastal home and delves into the relentless struggles of fishermen and farming communities who have lost lives, shelter, land and livelihoods.
Rashmi, a Mother Who Fought Abuse
Rashmi D’Souza, a software professional in Bengaluru, Karnataka, never imagined her husband would become abusive. In the presence of her two daughters, he continued his abusive behavior until a "guardian angel" intervened. This person offered her sound advice, but ultimately, it was Rashmi's own courage that led her to accept and act upon it.
2025 Delhi Election: Political Parties’ Newfound Love for Women Voters
Amid the political frenzy leading up to the 2025 Delhi assembly elections, scheduled for Feb. 5 with results on the 8th, all contesting parties—from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress—are actively courting women voters.
Ageing Alone – Migration’s Toll on Families in Madhya Pradesh
Haret Kevat and his wife, Nawal Devi, reside in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh. Their children have moved to other states, driven by the scarcity of jobs and economic prospects in their home state. Their lives, marked by loneliness, represent the predicament of tens of thousands of elderly parents across the region. In Madhya Pradesh, where 36% of rural residents live below the poverty line, nearly half of the male population migrates for work—almost twice the national average. According to the India Employment Report 2024, 50.9% of these male migrants leave Madhya Pradesh for employment opportunities.
Does Mumbai’s Middle Class Lack Empathy for Migrant Women?
Srimati, a Dalit migrant woman, lives on the streets of Mumbai with her son Shiv Sagar and her daughter after city authorities demolished her home in Jai Bhim Nagar. While she was worried about men leering at her daughter, she learned of a “Reclaim the Night” protest organised by women from a nearby housing society. That protest was in response to the August 2024, rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor in a hospital in Kolkata. Hoping to voice her own family’s safety concerns, she went with other displaced women from her hamlet. But what she experienced at the protest, left Srimati feeling that the middle class extends empathy perhaps only to its own.
Poornima’s Triumph over Bonded Labour: A Story of Resilience
Poornima was liberated from bonded labour in 2014, but she immediately faced the formidable challenge of rebuilding her life. She needed to secure employment, find accommodation and obtain essential documents. With determination, she returned to her village to acquire the skills necessary for self-sufficiency. Demonstrating both courage and perseverance, Poornima and her husband set up a small tailoring business. This initiative not only sustained their family but also provided employment opportunities for other freed bonded laborers in their community. By converting her adversities into a platform for financial independence and empowerment, Poornima has exemplified how resilience can drive transformative change, offering a future filled with dignity and hope for herself and others.
Dinner With a Tribal Woman: ‘My Sons Weren’t Maoists’
An elderly woman, Shanti Devi, who lost two of her sons in a shootout by security personnel, resides alone in a Maoist-affected region of Chhattisgarh. This episode of The Dinner Table explores her story.
A Dad Who Became a Mom
Manish, a resident of Bengaluru, Karnataka, has been raising his daughter alone since she was eight months old. To nurture her effectively, he has taken on the roles of both father and mother, overcoming numerous challenges—deciding where to leave his daughter when he goes to the office, choosing which washroom—men's or women's—to use when they are in a market area, determining the right amount of food to give her, what to say to her about periods, among other things. What truly demonstrates his resilience is his consistent willingness and cheerful attitude in doing everything necessary for his daughter’s upbringing.
HAUNTED AND GHETTOISED: Prolonged Aftermath
Khairunissa, along with her siblings and parents, spent years living in a multi-religious and multicultural apartment in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. When communal tensions and targeted violence against Muslims erupted in the city on February 28, 2002, her family initially felt secure, confident that their neighbours would be able to protect them. But then Khairunissa saw a mob approaching their building. In an instant, their lives and circumstances changed dramatically. More than 22 years later, the lasting impact continues to affect them and hundreds of thousands of Muslims in the state.
Jharkhand’s State Capitalism: Displacements by Mining
Madhusudan Mahto, a 60-year-old resident of Dhanbad district in Jharkhand state, is one of many paying the price for successive state governments' careless embrace of state capitalism. Coal mining has been ongoing in Jharkhand since 1901. Today, around 6,486 hectares of land in the state affected by the mining activity, while about 75% of the state’s population remains economically dependent on agriculture. Although mining is a lucrative source of revenue for the state and is prioritised over vital sectors like agriculture, it compromises the well-being of millions of residents who are not employed in the mining sector. And this is apart from significant environmental and health costs associated with the extraction of natural resources.
‘Revisiting Childhood,’ with Screenwriter, Lyricist and Filmmaker Shashwat Dwivedi
This video is from the third episode of our online event series, “Newsreel Asia Conversations,” which gives you a chance to interact with filmmakers who explore social, economic and political themes in their works. It all came together from our team's interactions with these creative minds at the 2024 Dharamshala International Film Festival. In this episode, we featured screenwriter, lyricist and filmmaker Shashwat Dwivedi, and our conversation centred on “Revisiting Childhood,” based on his latest film “Bobby Beauty Parlour.”
Dinner With Burmese and Chin Refugees
Ma Su and her family, Burmese refugees, have made Aizawl, Mizoram their home for the past several years after escaping Myanmar. She is one of nearly 40,000 Burmese refugees who have found refuge in Mizoram since the military coup in February 2021, many of whom are from the minority Chin Christian community. What drives these refugees to leave their homes? What kind of lives do they lead here, and what are their expectations of the local community? In this episode of The Dinner Table, host Harshita Rathore cooks a meal with Chin and Burmese refugees and sits down with them to share the meal while engaging in heart-to-heart conversations.
‘Why Education Comes with a High Cost for Girls,’ with Filmmaker Tarun Jain
This video is from the second episode of our online event series, “Newsreel Asia Conversations,” which gives you a chance to interact with filmmakers who explore social, economic and political themes in their works. In this episode, we featured filmmaker and director Tarun Jain, and our conversation centred on “Why Education Comes with a High Cost for Girls,” based on his film “Ballad of the Mountain.”
Power Crisis Deepens in Jammu & Kashmir Amid Winter
In the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, households commonly face frequent power outages and struggle with unaffordable electricity tariffs. This, despite the region's immense potential for hydroelectric power generation. Asad Ullah Mir describes the developmental injustices his community endures due to the extraction of hydroelectric power. Meanwhile, Abdul Hamid, a 50-year-old resident of Dal Gate in Srinagar, discusses the tough choices low-income families must make between electricity and basic necessities. This raises a pressing question: Why must the people of this region endure cold, dark winters?
‘The Experience of Exile’ with Filmmaker Sonam Tseten
This video is from the first episode of our online event series, “Newsreel Asia Conversations,” which gives you a chance to interact with filmmakers who explore social, economic and political themes in their works. It all came together from our team's interactions with these creative minds at the 2024 Dharamshala International Film Festival, which ran from November 7 to 10, 2024. In this first episode, we featured Tibetan filmmaker Sonam Tseten, and our conversation centred on "The Experience of Exile."