It's been over 16 months since ethnic violence erupted in the northeastern state of Manipur, involving the majority Meitei community and the Kuki-Zo tribes. The resulting divide is so severe that an unofficial border has effectively separated the two communities within the state. As the violence carries on, efforts by the state and central governments to resolve the crisis appear minimal, and the future remains uncertain. To gain insight into what lies ahead, host Harshita Rathore sat down for dinner with a Kuki-Zo leader, Dr. Chinkholal Thangsing, who heads the Kuki People’s Alliance. Affectionately known as Dr. Lal, he proposes a solution he believes could potentially lead to lasting peace.

Amid the 15-month ethnic divide between the majority Meitei community and Kuki-Zo tribes in Manipur, there is a place where youth from both groups come together for their future and education. In a special educational project run by the NGO NIEDO and the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary force, young girls and boys from both groups unite, believing that leaving the past behind and focusing on the future is key to restoring peace in violence-stricken Manipur. Despite the state’s deep divisions, these students hold onto the hope of one day reconnecting with friends from other communities.

Chetan Shyam, a 27-year-old from Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, was a bright student inspired by his revered grandfather. His life took a drastic turn when he first consumed ‘bhaang,’ a locally popular cannabis derivative, as a child. In Himachal Pradesh, where cannabis cultivation and consumption are culturally ingrained, drugs are easy money and a gateway to more dangerous substances. Chetan also spiralled into synthetic drug addiction, abandoned his education, and turned to drug peddling to sustain his habit, leading to his social downfall. He believes societal shame on addicts perpetuates their struggle, driven by a system of greed involving locals, complicit police, drug mafias and politicians.

Raj Kumar Rana, a Dalit Sarpanch from Nurpur Village in Punjab, has been committed to the development of his community. Despite his earnest efforts, state-level party politics have significantly hindered his progress. The Panchayati Raj system, designed to empower local communities and promote responsive governance, faces challenges when state politics intrude. In the case of Sarpanch Rana, his firm stance leads to unforeseen consequences for him and his family.

If you are living in Delhi, you might lose 12 years of your life because of air pollution. Jyoti Lavakare Pande, an author and a journalist from Delhi, writes an open letter to highlight the intensity of pollution in Delhi. She reflects on her mother's vibrant and resilient life, filled with smiles and melodies. Her mother, Kamale Pande, a classical vocalist, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, struggling for every breath in Delhi's pollution. She pens down her mother’s journey to raise awareness about the invisible killer looming in Delhi’s air.

Amar Ram would hide whenever the village landlords arrived to recruit labourers, often coercing them into working in their agricultural fields for a meager wage of 2.5 kg of paddy. His wife becomes emotional whenever she recalls the time when their meals consisted of nothing more than chili and chapati.

Tulsi, a former Naxalite, was forcibly abducted and had no option but to join the Maoist army, suffering greatly under the insurgents. In the same Maoist-State conflict in Chhattisgarh state, Soni Sori, a former educator and tribal rights activist, endured brutality and sexual assault at the hands of the police. In the volatile region of Bastar, often referred to as the "Red Corridor,"…

Mohammed Soheb, a farmer residing in the predominantly Muslim district of Nuh in the North Indian state of Haryana, has long endeavored to shed light on its status as India's least developed district. Soheb, along with his fellow Nuh inhabitants, has always taken pride in the harmonious coexistence of Muslims and Hindus in the region. 

Deba Manjhi, a 75-year-old labourer from Bihar's West Champaran district, used to receive 3 hatai (2.25 kg) of paddy in exchange for a grueling day's work a couple of decades ago. Presently, he labours 5 to 6 hours daily in the agricultural fields owned by land-owning farmers, earning a meager wage of 150 rupees.

Gulfisha Fatima, a former student turned activist from Seelampur in Delhi, was arrested by the Delhi Police in April 2020. Alongside numerous other activists who participated in the anti-CAA movement, she faced charges under anti-terror laws and was booked under the stringent UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act).

Young women Laila and Rajanti, like many other women from Madhya Pradesh state's Sahariya tribe, were able to conceive. However, what happened after the birth of their children was not in their hands. The Sahariyas are one of the 75 "particularly vulnerable" tribes of India.

Tenzin Lekshay is one of the 30,000 Tibetan refugees living in Mcleodganj town in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. His family fled to India with the Dalai Lama, along with 80,000 other Tibetans, after a failed uprising in 1959. In his conversation with the host Harshita Rathore

Kartam Kosa, a tribal man from Chhattisgarh state, and his family fled their home in 2005, when fighting between Maoist insurgents and a civilian militia, Salwa Judum, intensified. About 55,000 tribal people left their ancestral homes and found refuge in the forests of neighbouring states.

Sucheta Tomar, a farmer and housewife in Uttarakhand state's Lohari village, is one of the many residents who lost their ancestral homes due to a hydropower project by the state government. Their home submerged in flood water, Sucheta and her husband now live in a classroom of an abandoned school.

Munna Singh, 19, a second-generation migrant worker, is a full-time supplier of water bottles and a part-time dog walker in the slums of Govindpuri, Delhi. As he is working hard to make ends meet for his family, his life resembles that of millions of interstate migrant workers in India’s capital. Here’s a day in his life.

Few kilometres from the India-Pakistan border, people in Barmer district of the western state of Rajasthan face extreme water shortage. In scorching heat, women in this desert area spend several hours fetching water from the nearest wells. On an average, they walk about 2.5 kms to reach a water source and make many rounds each day.

Sheeraz Ali's eight-year-old daughter, Rahima, fell ill with a "mysterious" viral fever, which spread like a wild fire among children in Uttar Pradesh state's Firozabad district in August 2021. In a letter to the district administration, Ali pours out his heart as he narrates what happened after Rahima's sickness.

Suman (name changed) was trafficked from Kolkata city to a village in Haryana state to be married to a man. With the sex ratio of 911 females per 1000 males, as per the National Family Health Survey-5 (2020-2021), Haryana has more than 130,000 trafficked brides who come from impoverished parts of India.

Nirmal Kaur, a Sikh woman, was just 13 years old when she witnessed her father?s killing during an anti-Sikh massacre in 1984 after the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards. Thirty-eight years later, the Kaurs continue to fight for justice.

Reena Kerketta, one of India’s 6.6 million tribal Christians, is recovering from a severe head injury she sustained after an attack in her home in the tribal-majority Khunti district in the eastern state of Jharkhand. Host Harshita Rathore visits the Kerkettas to explore what identity-based discrimination …