Ever since I can remember, August 15 has been a day of celebration. At school, we would have poem recitation, declamation and debate competitions in the run up to the Independence Day. Flag hoisting and the Principal’s speech was always followed by the distribution of samosas, wafers and laddoos.The day became more significant when history was introduced as a subject in class 6. I would always imagine what it would have been like to fight for the country’s independence.
So when my colleague Urvashi met 102-year-old freedom fighter Rameshwar Choudhary in Jaipur, I got as close to the freedom struggle as one could after having been born over three decades after our independence. It’s this week’s must-read piece.
The other interesting story is on the work of Commitment to Kashmir (CtoK), a private trust working to revive four types of Kashmiri embroideries, papier-mâché, copperware and other Kashmiri craft by training artisans in contemporary designs. It is eliminating exploitative middlemen and marketing the products.
Another great example of finding a fair marketplace is the work of Rajesh Kumar Oza in Udaipur’s Gogunda tehsil. When he saw tribal women walking 10-15 km to sell custard apples at Rs 4-5 per kg, he set up Jovaki Agro Foods to process wild fruits and vegetables. He now provides livelihood to 600 tribal women in the tribal belt. His story will reinforce your faith in India’s entrepreneurial spirit.
There's a lot more at 30Stades.com. Do look up. Happy reading!
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