RIGHTS DENIED, VOICES SILENCED | Don't Maharashtra's Tribals have Right To Protest?
In Maharashtra's #gadchiroli district, Lalsu bravely exposes the environmental and cultural impacts of #mining. Shockingly, 21 tribals from 70 villages are arrested for protesting against injustice. Protest, their sole voice, is under threat as the government’s heavy-handed suppression of dissent intensifies, revealing a disturbing pattern.
UNHEARD VOICES | Atrocities Against Tribals in Madhya Pradesh
Arjun Sahariya, a member of Madhya Pradesh’s Sahariya tribal group, courageously opens up about the atrocities inflicted upon his family. His situation is a representation of the increasing number of atrocities against tribal groups in the central Indian state which boasts the highest population of tribal communities.
BURIED UNDER GREED | Disasters Rise as Revenues Grow in Himachal Pradesh
Jai Chand, a farmer from Shimla's Kumarsain Tehsil in Himachal Pradesh, faced a devastating nightmare when a landslide claimed the lives of his son, daughter-in-law, grandson and destroyed their home. He and two other family members survived, but now they endure a life marked by grief and hardship.
BEHIND THE IRON MINES | Hidden Cost of Iron Ore Extraction in Chhattisgarh
Chhannu Markam lost his wife and four children. He claims that the deaths were a result of health complications arising from a polluted red-water river. He lives in Loha Village in Chhattisgarh, a state heavily reliant on its revenue from iron ore mines.
LANDLESSNESS AND POVERTY IN BIHAR |Conversation with a Dalit Family
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.
LAGGED BEHIND | School Dropouts Among Tribal Children In Chhattisgarh
Mangal Markami was the first in his family to pursue education. However, due to an unsupportive school atmosphere and the demands of his tribal culture, he quit school after successfully completing his 10th grade.
CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE | Lives of Women Amid Maoist Insurgency in Chhattisgrah
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,"…
FISH WITHOUT WATER | Tribals Fear Separation From Forest and Land
Thakur Ram Orkera is just one of many tribals who depend on the forest for their daily needs. However, their source of survival is at stake. Orkera, along with thousands of other indigenous individuals in Chhattisgarh's Hasdeo forest region, faces the potential loss of both livelihood and cultural heritage due to governmental interventions and a major corporation's coal mining plans. Undeterred, Thakur and the Adivasis are resolute in their stance: enough is enough.
MANIPUR | The Men Behind Violence In Manipur
Newsreel Asia revisits Manipur, a state in Northeast India, now besieged by near-daily attacks since May 3, 2023. Moving from survivors' homes to violence epicentres, this mini-documentary investigates alarming accusations that implicate both local extremist factions and state security forces in the attacks on the Kuki-Zo tribal community.
MANIPUR | A Surge of Violence
Kai Neu, a nurse, and Thanghoulal, a driver, represent many from the Kuki-Zomi tribes who have suffered ceaseless violence since May 3, 2023, in Manipur, a state in Northeast India. They inhabit Churachandpur district, which remained inaccessible with no Internet connectivity either.
ON COMMUNAL VIOLENCE | Conversation with a Muslim Family in Haryana's Nuh District
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.
WHY NOT 50-50? | Unequal Representation of Women in Indian Politics
Rashmi Singh and Sadaf Khan, like many women in Madhya Pradesh state, aspire to participate in public life by running for elections. They have joined the ongoing movement advocating for equal representation of women in Indian politics. Presently, women hold less than 15% of seats in the country's parliament and most state Assemblies.
AGEING MOUNTAINS | The Toll of Youth Migration on the Elderly
Kuldeep, a young man in Uttarakhand state, is one among countless individuals who have abandoned their native villages, and traditional farming, to migrate to big cities in search of employment. A few kilometres away, an elderly couple, Yashoda Devi and Ramesh Chand, bear witness to this mass migration, living alone in their now desolate village.
A GREY WORLD
Kaolin, or China clay, is a mineral harmful to both humans and the environment. Located in Kharia Village in West Bengal state?s Birbhum District, is a Kaolin mine and processing unit owned by Patel Nagar Minerals Pvt. Ltd. Founded in 1955, it?s one of India's longest-standing China clay processing units. The unregulated pollution from this unit poses a significant health risk to locals, damaging soil, groundwater and agriculture, and severely affecting the region's ecosystem. This story, by Kolkata-based filmmaker Subhrajit Sen, explores the mining?s impact on workers and villagers. It was produced with support from Internews? Earth Journalism Network Asia Pacific Grant 2022.
THE DISPOSSESSED | How Landlessness Feeds Poverty in Bihar
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.
SILENCING DEMOCRACY | Curbs on the ‘Right to Protest’ in The National Capital
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).
THE BROKEN | Dalit Sikhs Fight Back In Punjab
Gurwinder Singh is a Dalit Sikh. His family has a history of working as bonded labourers, known as "Seeris," for landowning farmers in Bauran Kala village in the Sikh-majority Punjab state. His father, now 65 years old, is still working as a "dung-rubbish picker," a job predominantly done by Dalit Sikhs, who are landless and impoverished.
LIFELESS BIRTHS |High Infant Mortality among Tribals in Madhya Pradesh
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.
FORGOTTEN IN THE LANDSLIDE
Jhabe Ram bursts into tears as he narrates how a landslide swept away his family's house in Himachal Pradesh state, killing eight members of their joint family, including his wife and two children as well as his brother and his entire family. This northern state in the Himalayas is no stranger to natural calamities.
CRUSHED ASPIRATIONS | Academic Chaos In Bihar
Adarsh Kumar, a self-motivated, bright student from Bihar, aspires to pull his family out of poverty. However, he has little more than his resolve to take him closer to his dream, by serving in the Indian Army. To pass every stage of recruitment, and there are many, can his determination compensate for…