india's changing villages speech 100 words

Essay on Changing Face of India

Students are often asked to write an essay on Changing Face of India in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

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100 Words Essay on Changing Face of India

Introduction.

India, a country rich in culture and history, is evolving rapidly. The face of India is changing with advancements in various fields.

Technological Advancements

Technology is one of the key areas where India has seen a significant transformation. From villages to cities, technology is accessible to everyone, making life easier and more connected.

Economic Growth

India’s economy is also changing. The rise of startups and foreign investments show the growing strength of India’s economy, offering more opportunities for its citizens.

Social Changes

Socially, India is becoming more progressive. The younger generation is breaking stereotypes, advocating for equal rights and opportunities for all.

The changing face of India is a blend of traditional values and modern ideas, making it a country that is continuously evolving and growing.

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• Speech on Changing Face of India

250 Words Essay on Changing Face of India

India, a country with a rich cultural heritage and diverse traditions, has been undergoing a significant transformation over the past few decades. This change is visible in every aspect, from economic growth to technological advancements, and from social norms to political structures.

Economic Transformation

India’s economic landscape has witnessed a dramatic shift since the liberalization of the 1990s. The shift from an agrarian economy to a service-based one, the rise of entrepreneurship, and the surge of multinational corporations have all contributed to India’s changing face. The country is now recognized as a global economic power, with one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.

The technological revolution in India has been remarkable. The advent of the internet and the digital revolution have transformed the way Indians live, work, and communicate. The tech industry, in particular, has seen an exponential rise, with India becoming a hub for IT services and startups.

Social and Political Changes

India’s social fabric is also evolving. There is a gradual shift towards gender equality, and the youth are increasingly participating in social causes. Politically, India has seen an increase in the participation of marginalized communities, contributing to a more inclusive democracy.

The changing face of India is a testament to the country’s adaptability and resilience. While challenges persist, the transformation is steering India towards a future that promises growth, inclusivity, and prosperity. This change is not just a reflection of India’s growth, but also a beacon of hope for other developing countries.

500 Words Essay on Changing Face of India

The evolution of india.

India, a country with a rich cultural heritage and a legacy of diverse civilizations, has undergone profound changes over the decades. The face of India is continually evolving, marked by significant transformations in its socio-economic and political landscapes.

Socio-Economic Transformation

India’s socio-economic structure has seen a dramatic shift from a primarily agrarian society to a burgeoning service sector economy. The advent of globalization and liberalization in the 1990s unlocked opportunities for India, leading to a surge in foreign investments. This economic reform stirred a wave of urbanization and industrialization, contributing to the rise of metropolitan cities and an expanding middle class.

The IT revolution has been a game-changer for India. With a significant youth population, India has harnessed the potential of this sector, becoming a global outsourcing hub. This shift has not only boosted the economy but also led to societal changes. The increased income levels have improved living standards, leading to a consumerist society. However, this change has also widened the economic disparity, raising concerns about inclusive growth.

Political Landscape

India’s political landscape has also evolved. From a single-party dominance to a multi-party system, the democratic fabric of India has become more vibrant and diverse. The rise of regional parties reflects the federal structure of India, giving voice to local issues and identities. The decentralization of power through Panchayati Raj institutions has further strengthened grassroots democracy.

The advent of social media has transformed political campaigning and public discourse. It has democratized the flow of information, making the political process more transparent and accountable. However, it has also given rise to challenges like fake news and hate speech, raising questions about the responsible use of technology.

Cultural Paradigm Shift

The cultural face of India is also changing. The influence of western culture, propelled by globalization and the internet, is evident in the lifestyle of urban India. The traditional joint family system is giving way to nuclear families. However, India continues to maintain its cultural diversity, a blend of modernity and tradition.

Challenges and Opportunities

The changing face of India presents both challenges and opportunities. While economic growth has improved living standards, issues like poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy persist. The challenge lies in ensuring inclusive and sustainable development. On the other hand, India’s demographic dividend, diversity, and democratic ethos offer immense potential for future growth.

In conclusion, the transformation of India is a complex interplay of socio-economic and political changes. The changing face of India reflects its resilience and adaptability, as it navigates the path of progress while grappling with its challenges. The journey of India is a testament to its evolving identity, a country rooted in its rich past, embracing the future with hope and optimism.

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Thriving villages are key to India’s success

Lecturer in Journalism, Charles Sturt University

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Harry Dillon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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In October 2011, the birth of an unidentified baby marked the seven billionth human. With more than 1.2 billion people and a world-leading national birth rate of about 50 per minute, India is more likely than any other country to have gestated Baby 7B. And given that about 70% of Indians – roughly one-tenth of humanity – live in the countryside, there’s a good chance 7B is among the new offspring in one of India’s 600,000-plus villages.

Rural India is a focal point for issues of global concern: the impacts of high population and development on natural resources; water pollution from raw sewage and pesticide runoff; soil loss and desertification due to erosion, overgrazing and deforestation.

India’s resilient rural villages are seeking to adapt to change and remain relevant without losing their valued traditions and skills. The ongoing viability of these villages is germinal to India’s current assumption of great power status.

With China, India is acquiring the prominent international position implied by its size, while contending with consequences such as the flow of poor peasants into already crowded urban centres. India’s burgeoning cities and towns will struggle to cope with the influx. There seems little prospect the incoming masses will acquire the jobs and financial security they seek. Already the cities have endemic shortages of employment, transport, housing, schooling, water, sewerage and health care.

The ability of India’s villages to offer fulfilling lives to their inhabitants will be a crucial safety valve on volatile social tensions in the future.

Australians must take a more concerted interest in learning about the rising nations and peoples with whom we share our part of the globe. China and India have been pillars of wealth and power from ancient times, when they dominated international trade and together accounted for five times as many people as Europe. From a long-term perspective, India has been much closer to civilisation’s centre of gravity than the West, which means the current trend of events marks a return to global normality.

Of course, the vision of mainland Asia’s global prominence as “natural” is hard to swallow for Westerners accustomed to thinking quite the opposite. In Australia, the difficulty is heightened by fears about restive hordes to our north that have long haunted our national consciousness.

The genuine, but seldom acknowledged, global importance of India’s villages impressed itself upon me during a recent trip to India organised through the Mumbai-based India Study Abroad Centre (ISAC) and Grassroutes . Their joint, three-week program immerses participants in the everyday activities of Purushwadi, an Indian village. The aim is to foster global citizenship through understanding of diverse lifestyles.

During the stay, our group of CSU students had close daily access to Purushwadi’s internal life. We lived just a few minutes’ walk from the centre of the village. Mealtimes brought us into the tiny domestic spaces: commonly just one or two small, low-ceilinged rooms with a little non-flued fireplace against a wall, where families store and prepare food, eat, sleep, dress and socialise.

Accustomed to images of India’s crowded poverty, I was unprepared for this attractive, undulating landscape dominated by rocky, treed hillocks and steep-sided river valleys. While walking on any quiet trail through the trees you are never far from productive activity and regularly meet low-key traffic: a man leading a cow, a woman picking berries, a group of people gathering firewood or carrying produce.

My time in Purushwadi yielded insights into why villages remain integral to Indian society, with their age-old ability to sustain most of the nation’s people peacefully and productively in inclusive, integrated communities.

More so than its cities, India’s villages are living repositories of ancient, diverse traditions that have survived down the ages through a combination of constancy and adaptation to changing circumstances. This resilience has enabled myriad village lifestyles to flourish in environments ranging from fecund, irrigated agricultural plains in India’s north and southeast to the vast, arid plains in its centre and the temperate mountain ranges of the east and west coasts.

As Stephen P. Huyler states in Village India , the financial poverty of village existence is offset by a wealth of communal customs, rituals and attitudes.

“Their faith and the interdependence of their societies provide a unity and sense of purpose rarely experienced in the contemporary West … Modernisation is essential but its most healthy expression would be a blending of traditional forms (and the wisdom gained through centuries of subtle adaptations to the environment) with innovative technologies.”

Respect for village life has a proud history. Gandhi decreed that the nation’s heart and soul was in its villages and that “If the villages perish, India will perish too”. Gandhi championed village life for its virtues of self-sufficiency, honesty, peacefulness and spirituality. Claiming the cities and towns were bleeding the life out of villages, he advocated an independent India comprised of ideal small communities with healthy living standards and access to the benefits of modern civilisation without the alienation inherent to industrial capitalism.

Gandhi’s vision of national, spiritual and social transformation based in the villages proved overly idealistic and was never implemented to any large extent by governments. No doubt the prospect of any such scheme coming to fruition is no more likely in today’s glossy new India, preoccupied with software start-ups, call centres, Bollywood starlets and consumer glitz.

However, Gandhi’s warning that India’s survival depends on the wellbeing of its villages seems even more pertinent today. India has no valid option but to protect the interests of its villages because they will remain important and highly populated for a long time to come.

India will almost certainly continue its march to the front rank of geopolitically significant nations while the majority of its swelling populace remains relatively poor. This scenario adds weight to the challenge of maintaining village viability in order to discourage the sons and daughters of India’s soil from abandoning the countryside in pursuit of urban-based, middle-class affluence.

The IT firms of Bangalore and similar businesses elsewhere in the country can absorb only small numbers of capable recruits. Other outlets will need to be found to accommodate a rising generation of village Indians who will be much better educated, ambitious and upwardly mobile than most of their parents. A squalid hand-to-mouth existence in the sprawling slums of Mumbai or Calcutta seems a dismal alternative to life in the countryside, but it’s an option already taken up by many escapees from rural poverty.

To the challenges facing India’s villages, no single response can suffice. When we asked the youngsters in Purushwadi about career goals, none mentioned subsistence farming; they wanted to become teachers, doctors, nurses, aid workers or similar. Most thought they would leave their village to gain qualifications, but return at some stage to help the community.

Most likely, the rising generation of India’s villages will seek to migrate to cities in unprecedented numbers to seek better lives. In some ways, this is a positive development in terms of the global environment: city dwellers can be supplied with housing, power, transport, food and water more efficiently than their country counterparts. As Mark Lynas argues in The God Species , urban sites occupy just 2.8% of the earth’s land, enabling about 3.3 billion people to live in an area less than half the size of Australia. Increased urbanisation is also linked with lower birth rates.

Even so, the cities of India and other developing countries are already struggling to cope with huge current populations. Unchecked mass migration from the countryside would trigger disaster. While India works towards better-managed cities, villages made as economically and culturally viable as possible will be a mainstay for future sustainability.

Assuming the world’s seven billionth living person is among the new crop of offspring in village India, where and how will he or she live? As a conventional village toiler, among the expanding middle classes in the city, or with a foot in both camps? Will his or her village solve or ignore problems, adapt to or resist changes, flourish or wither away? It’s certain that interesting times are ahead for 7B and village India overall, and that what happens there will affect us in an interconnected world facing a host of monumental challenges. We in the West must acknowledge that no place is truly remote in the 21st century global village.

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• Life in an Indian Village Essay

Essay on Life in an Indian Village

The villages are the souls of our country, and more than 60% of the population lives in villages. There are more villages and small towns in India than in metropolitan areas. Census 2011 reports the number of villages in our country is 6,49,481. In this essay on Life in an Indian Village, we will further explore the life one leads in a village and how it is different from city life and the advantages and disadvantages of the same.

Short Essay on Life in an Indian Village

The villages of India are major contributors to agriculture, thus making India an agricultural land. Life in an Indian village is called rural life and city life is considered urban life. Life in an Indian village for students and children is different from those growing up in urban households. The children are often led to their family occupation of agriculture and work as farmers. Farmers are the most undervalued people in our society. They work doubly hard to supply food on our plates and don't even get paid half of what they deserve. They work without any modern machines, for long days starting even before sunrise and end their days long after dusk. They toil in the scorching heat and in the rain. The most difficult aspect of a farmer's life is mostly dependent on climatic conditions. Also, one of the other ways of earning a living in the villages is by housing cattle like cows, sheep, goats, and poultry.

People's attraction to rural life

The agricultural lands and open fields and rustic lifestyle makes the villages more scenic and peaceful. People living in metropolitan areas often go on holidays to such scenic countryside locations where they can breathe fresh air due to its unpolluted environment. The village life is slower and not steadfast, unlike the city life, this is one of the main reasons for millennials now who when on holiday from work prefer this kind of lifestyle for a short period of time and take such breaks. On the other hand, organic food has now gained much popularity and this also encourages others to adapt to the countryside way of living where one eats more nutritious food and lives a healthier lifestyle.

Long Essay on Life in an Indian Village

Life in an Indian Village for Students and Children

There are other aspects of living in an Indian village where one has to deal with scarcity on a regular basis. Scarcity, be it lack of electricity, good connecting roadways, transportation; homes built with mud or clay which can be unreliable, along with lack of proper healthcare facilities. Life in an Indian Village for Students and Children is especially hard as along with the aforementioned problems, they are also deprived of basic education, due to which they lack career opportunities.

In some parts of India, there is only one primary school that children from the nearby villages attend. Even gaining primary education is very difficult because the parents are not very keen to send their children, especially girls and want them to join them in their family's line of occupation to earn some extra money for their livelihood and girls are held back from attending school as they are required to support their mothers in household chores.

The importance of primary and secondary education should be spread in villages, highlighting the fact that it creates several career opportunities for both boys and girls. There is not much growth in the agricultural sector as well due to lack of education and training in modern ways to enhance the agricultural produce.

Cultural & Traditional Values

Unlike the cities, the villagers don't live their lives secluded; they enjoy getting together, living like a close-knit family, and helping each other in adversities. This sense of community and belonging is greatly valued. Even with so many problems, life in an Indian village is one to look forward to, as the Indian culture is very much intact and the celebrations are huge. When all as a community celebrate together, with folk music, dance, and songs, all festivals are celebrated with a lot of zeal, especially the harvest season. India should take pride in such rich culture and traditions.

In Life in Indian Village Essay, it is also important to explore the advantages and disadvantages of leading such a life.

Advantages of Life in an Indian Village

One experiences a stress-free life surrounded by beautiful nature and leads a happy life in the Indian villages.

The air is pure and fresh due to low levels of pollution and no release of harmful gases as their mode of transport is usually a bicycle or a bullock cart.

Life in an Indian Village is a healthy one as one is always doing some chore which keeps one fit and the seasonal fruits and vegetables grown naturally in the villages keep one energized.

Disadvantages of Life in an Indian village

Lack of good infrastructure, lack of schools and well-trained and experienced teaching staff hinder the progress of the few children who attend the school.

It is very difficult to break old customs and traditions and change the mindset of the elders of the family, who are usually the decision-makers and their rigid attitude makes it harder for newer generations of children.

The villages are in dire need of basic amenities like hygienic sanitation facilities, electricity, etc.

Many such issues can be resolved when the government, along with citizens, take accountability and encourage education, especially in agriculture and farming, as it is the main occupation in villages and in ways to incorporate modern technology with traditional tools. With the help of many government programs that can primarily focus on the building of schools and hospitals, education could help them earn a living which will eventually lead to a reduction in the poverty rate and increase productivity, thus increasing the GDP of our country.

In today's world, most of the people from villages leave their homes and move to cities to either study or earn a living. But the fact is life in the village area is actually enjoyable and more peaceful than in any other metropolitan city. Villages have a natural beauty to them, and they are simple, calm yet beautiful. The people living in the villages mostly go to the fields to earn their daily living, they are generally hardworking and their day starts very early than most other people living in the cities or town. They work hard in the field the whole day and just get some rest when it is dawn.

The one most relaxed thing about villages is that they are free from the heavy traffic of city life. Villages are found to be more peaceful, calm, quiet, and full of greenery, where one can always breathe fresh air and stay healthy without any pollution problems. Most of the handcraft labor people are from villages such as farmers, other works as potters, carpenters, blacksmiths, etc. The Bulls are used for farming and other activity in the field and, are also considered as their sacred god since they are the ones who help in ploughing the field, cultivating crops, and earning money for them.

FAQs on Life in an Indian Village Essay

1. What are the Advantages of Moving to an Indian Village?

There are many advantages of living in an Indian village; the quieter and calmer surroundings help to lead a simple and peaceful life. Clean air boosts mental and physical health. The consumption of freshly produced food helps maintain fitness naturally. With the least amount of living cost, one can truly enjoy life when one is surrounded by nature.

2. What are Some Beautiful Indian Villages where One can Visit?

There are many beautiful villages in our country be it Gokarna Village in Karnataka located in the southern part of India, Janjheli in North of India, i.e., Himachal Pradesh, Nainital in Uttarakhand, Lachen Village in the Northeast, i.e., Sikkim, and Cherrapunji in Meghalaya.

3. What is the importance of village life?

Villages are important because they are the actual backbone of our country's economy and other traditional cultures that are evolving around. They are the primary source of the agricultural sector of the country and help in exporting crops to various countries, which will fetch a good economic status to our country. They also maintain the most important part of the ecological balance of the living environment. Economic growth may mainly contribute to rural areas, as the agricultural field will help in food production and job creation opportunities. As growth in industry and service areas are comparatively slow mainly during this pandemic, many developing countries will not be able to absorb this massive number of new job seekers.

4. Is village life better than city life?

Villages will be seen to be better when it comes to mental relaxation and healthy lifestyle but, anyway city life is seen as generally better than village life because of convenience and open opportunities around because, in the city, you can get whatever you want and quickly in this fast-moving world where everything has become digital. The village life is not that bad like how we always imagine; however, there is the issue of scarcity which is yet to be resolved.

5. What is the importance of rural development in the Indian economy?

As of India, the majority of the people below the poverty line reside in the rural areas and this contributes to a maximum percentage of the population, unfortunately. Hence, the prime goal of rural development is to improve the quality of life of the rural people by alleviating their poverty situation through providing them opportunities for self-employment and wage employment programs, by providing community infrastructure facilities such as drinking water, public toilets, etc.

6. How can we improve the lives of people in villages?

It is possible to improve the quality of rural life since they contribute the maximum of the population in India. For that, we should  Identify people's needs and priorities in the rural villages. Plan and define activities or necessary opportunities that can mobilize the complete involvement of the community. Government should plan the structure of resources allocated in their current schemes according to their needs. Draw a plan, then repair and renovate existing infrastructure with good schools, toilets, etc., which will improve their current status. Strengthen the Panchayat team in every village to be responsible and take necessary actions according to the people's needs. Promote transparency and accountability for any action taken and make them understand what is going on and how it will benefit them.

7. What are the most backward villages found that need immediate light and action?

There are many such villages, but still some are considered the most backward in the society with more number of uneducated people, no employment opportunities and many other serious problems which need immediate action by the government.

A village, now known for its house and even banks without doors - Shani Shingnapur, Maharashtra.

India's first fully solar-powered village- Dharnai, Bihar.

India's first bamboo economy consists of tribal people who have access to deep forest - Mendha Lekha, Maharashtra.

A village where everyone speaks only Sanskrit and follows their own specific culture and tradition for generations - Mattur, Karnataka.

From among India's poorest villages to prosperity, this village is now actually developing on its own - Achala, Odisha.

A village with top-notch innovative and unique facilities yet poor - Punsari, Gujarat.

A village with 60 millionaires but then no one to help the village grow - Hiware Bazar, Maharashtra.

Asia's cleanest and most beautiful village - Mawlynnong, Meghalaya

A village where 111 trees are planted every time a girl-child is born yet finds it difficult to cope with economic status  - Piplantri, Rajasthan.

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• When our villages are transformed, India will be transformed: PM Modi --> When our villages are transformed, India will be transformed: PM Modi --> When our villages are transformed, India will be transformed: PM Modi

When our villages are transformed, India will be transformed: PM Modi

Madhya Pradesh's Governor Smt. Anandiben Patel, state's Chief Minister Shivraj Singh, Union Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Shri Purushottam Rupala, Minister of State Gopal ji, Mr. Om Prakash, Mr. Sanjay, my colleague in the Parliament Mr. Faggan Singh Kulaste, Smt. Sampatiya Uikey, BJP leader and an MP from Jabalpur Shri Rakesh Singh ji, Head of Zila Panchayat of Mandla Smt Saraswati Marawi ji. I would also like to proudly announce the presence of Deputy Chief Minister of Tripura. He has done a commendable job during the Tripura elections. BJP won a majority in assembly elections. It was a historic decision taken by the people of Tripura.

Most of the population of Tripura is tribal. Just like there is a long history of Gonds in your state, there has been a long rule of tribal people in Tripura. I am glad that today the newly elected Deputy Chief Minister of Tripura Mr. Jishnu Deb Burman is present among us. He belongs to a tribal community and comes from the royal family that had once taken up arms against the British. Today I'm proud to welcome him here on the soil of Madhya Pradesh.

Brothers and sisters,

Today we have gathered on the banks of mother Narmada. About 1300 km long mother Narmada that starts from here and flows till the coasts of Gujarat, taking care of crores of people, aiding in agricultural activities, animal husbandry, rural livelihood, has been supporting our lives for centuries. I salute that mother Narmada!

I consider myself fortunate to have got the opportunity of visiting this region even before. Stories of Rani Durgavati’s courage and sacrifice have always been inspiring us. This is the uniqueness of our country. The stories of Rani Durgavati and Rani Avanti Bai have taught us that we should always struggle for the sake of the society and should never accept defeat from foreign rulers; we should not only live with pride but also die with the same pride. Recalling this tradition today we begin this programme celebrating the pride of tribal people on this land.

This day also marks the Panchayat day. This is an important occasion for realizing the dreams of respected Bapu; because Mahatma Gandhi had identified India with its villages. Mahatma Gandhi had encouraged us to realize the dream of 'Gramoday to Rashtroday'. Today on the occasion of Panchayati raj Divas I offer my salute and best wishes to about 2.5 Lakh panchayats, the crores of people in this panchayat, more than 30 lakh representatives of these Panchayats of which one third are our mothers and sisters who have taken the leadership.

I want to assure them that the government of India will support them for the development of their villages, the empowerment of the people of your villages and to fulfill the resolutions so as to get rid of the issues faced by your villages. Our dreams will be associated with your dreams. We will together fulfill the dreams of 125 crore Indians. With this spirit, we should make resolutions to do something for the welfare of the village.

Earlier whenever we used to come and visit Mandla, it was identified with the fort constructed by the Gond Kings. We used to say proudly that, centuries ago, the Gond kings had established such a great system. At that time the princely states, the princes and the rulers used to do something or the other for the welfare of the people that is still remembered and about which we can tell our future generation with immense pride. Such kind of a system used to be there in that era.

We have democracy in place. The people of the villages have given us a responsibility for a certain period of time. They have trusted us. Which elected leader of the panchayat won't have the desire to accomplish 5 or 10 or 15 good tasks for the welfare of the people in the 5 years provided to him or her? 20 years or 25 years or 30 years later during your old age you will be able to tell your grandsons and granddaughters about the work that you had accomplished when you were the head of the Panchayat; like the pond was created under you, the well was dug, the trees were planted in the school during your tenure. Even you would like to tell your grandsons and grand-daughters about the work accomplished under your leadership 25 years or 30 years ago that you were satisfied about. Which head of Panchayat won't have such a desire?

I wish to infuse that strong desire in your heart. If we intend to do something for the public in the limited time period of 5 years and if that desire is extremely strong, you will definitely be able to defeat any challenge or obstacle in your way.

Sometimes when it comes to the development of the village, people talk about budget. There was a time when budget was a problem; but today it is not the major concern. Today the concern is about the proper utilization of the money within the specified time limit for the actual beneficiaries. There has to be honesty and transparency about the work done in the villages. Everyone should know about the amount of money that goes into a project and the explicit outcome. The issue is not about the lack of funds but about priority.

Now you tell me. There is a proper school building in a village with a qualified teacher; the teacher gets regular salary; it operates on a regular basis but if my village's 5 -25 students don't go to school, if they go and hide in the agricultural field or go and sit under the trees, and as a result they remain illiterate, then who is to be blamed for this? Is it the problem of lack of funds? Is it the problem of teachers? Not at all! We need to make the people of villages understand that there is a school; there are teachers available, the government is paying the fees, and the government is paying for the uniform of the students and also providing mid-day meal to the students. Come, not a single child in our villages should be out of school. Not even a single child in these villages should remain illiterate. Can't we take this pledge?

Our parents might have been illiterate due to the lack of opportunities and facilities. They might not have got the opportunity of studying because of the governments of that time. However, after getting elected in the Panchayat, in the state as well as at the Centre, we are keen to provide education to the students, especially the daughters. Isn't it our responsibility as representatives of the people that after coming to power for 5 years, this time should be utilized for providing education to the children so that not a single child should remain illiterate? Just imagine, when that child gets good education, after growing up he would say that he used to be a son of a poor mother, who used to work in the agricultural fields but the village head had dragged him out of the agricultural fields and had told him that this was not the time for working in the fields and rather he should go and study in schools. He would say- 'Thanks to my village head that I have become a doctor, an engineer, an IAS officer today. The life of my family has transformed.' If a single life is changed because of one head, the entire country moves in the direction of change.

Therefore my dear representatives, the Panchayatiraj Day should be the day of taking resolutions. Just see, in today's time, there have been several positive changes in the field of Health Care. If our children get timely vaccines against polio, they are not likely to be affected by the disease. You tell me that even today there could be a 40 or 50 year old person who is living with the condition of polio as a physically-challenged person, as a Divyang. Wouldn't you be pained to see him or not? Wouldn't you feel sympathetic towards him for his condition? You will definitely feel this way.

My brothers and sisters,

Probably that 40-50 year old person was not fortunate enough to have timely protection against the disease. But today the Polio vaccine helps in protecting every child of your village from the deadly disease. No child will catch Polio. Different governments do the campaign for immunization against polio through televisions and newspapers; the dates are announced continuously for administering polio drops. Shouldn't I, an elected representative of the Panchayat, do this job of ensuring vaccination against the disease?

But sometimes these representatives feel that this job is for the bureaucrats to implement. No my dear brothers and sisters. We are the servants of the public and not of the government. We are elected to form the government for serving the people. Therefore, if our power and time is put to the same work we can transform the face of our villages.

I emphasize upon these little things because usually people talk of big things but the real change comes from doing these little things with which we can change our villages.

We are well aware of the fact that if the health of the soil of the field that helps the farmer to fill not only his own stomach but also of the society, is poor then definitely mother Earth will be unhappy some or the other way. She will stop producing enough crops like she used to. We all will die starving. Our future generations will also be compelled to live in poverty. Have we ever thought of calling the group of farmers and telling them how their indiscriminate use of Urea is deteriorating the quality of their land? Sometimes a farmer sees that others are putting one or two bags of urea in their soil and does the same. Sometimes he sees the other farmer using the red boxed fertilizer and copies him.

Can't the villagers decide that if the village receives 50 bags of urea, only 40 will be utilized? In this manner don't you think that the money for the 10 additional bags will be saved? In this way we will play an active role in conserving the health of the soil, the mother Earth that is getting degraded due to urea. Our mother earth will be pleased with us and shower her blessings on us since the son that was killing me by putting excessive urea has now understood his mistake. Now I will produce more to fill his stomach. You tell me, can we do this or not?

I want to ask my tribal brothers, can we do this work or not?

Now the government has made a great law. Today I am standing in the forests of Mandla. Bamboo is cultivated here. There was a time when bamboo was categorized as tree. While I was going through the files, I was confused as to how could bamboo be considered as a tree for such a long time? As a result, my tribal brothers who live in forests could not cut the bamboo and sell them. If the forest officer catches him carrying bamboo, he will be in trouble. These were the problems that they had to encounter.

The government made a crucial decision of removing bamboo from the category of trees and putting it under the category of grass so that the farmer can cultivate bamboo on the boundaries of his farm, sell the bamboo; make different things out of bamboo and sell them in the market. This will create a new avenue of employment in villages.

You will be surprised to know that despite having such a huge forest of bamboo in the country, we are importing bamboo worth 12-15 thousand crore rupees. For making incense sticks, match sticks, or even for making kites we are importing bamboo from other countries. For constructing our houses, we don't have the permission to cut bamboo. Thousands of crores of Rupees are flowing out of the country.

Now I urge my tribal brothers and the farmers of the villages to plant good quality Bamboo in their fields. They can cultivate their usual crops and along with that they can plant Bamboo on the edges of the field. They will be able to earn extra in next 2 or 3 years. The income of the farmers is bound to increase. They can get additional income from the land that is lying unutilized at the edges.

I appeal to you all and to the representatives of Panchayat. Can we make our farmers in the agricultural sector to be self-reliant? The Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Dev Vrat ji devotes his time to teach zero budget agriculture to the farmers. Can my representatives of the panchayat learn these things and prepare the farmers of their villages or not?

We are currently running a campaign for increasing Honey production and for beekeeping. If a small farmer keeps even 50 boxes for bee-keeping in his agricultural field, he can sell honey worth Rs.1.5-2 lakh annually. Even if he is unable to sell that honey and consumes himself, it will be beneficial for his health. You tell me whether the farmer's income will increase or not? Is it necessary to accomplish this job through budget? Not at all! These things can be done automatically, on one's own initiative. We just need to decide.

The government provides the funds for the wages of the laborers under MGNREGA scheme. For accomplishing the MGNREGA work for 2-3 months, say in the months of April, May and June, we can decide the work that needs to be done before hand. For example, deepening a pond or stopping the water through check dams or preserving the rainwater. The MGNREGA funds can be put to the specified work.

You tell me that if the water of the village is preserved, then don't you think that underground water levels that is going down will ultimately rise? Won't the cost of water extraction be reduced? So, in the future even if there is less rainfall, the agriculture will get a new lease of life from the preserved water. The village will not starve in such a scenario.

The problem is not about the lack of schemes or funds. I would like to appeal to the representatives of the villages to take strong decisions regarding education, healthcare, water conservation or modernizing agriculture. There is no need for a new budget in these areas. Even without a new budget the people of the villages can move ahead and bring changes.

I would also like to emphasize upon another aspect. We had started a scheme for opening bank accounts- Jan Dhan Yojana. Second scheme was regarding insurance with a premium of 90 paise. I don't believe that even the poorest of the poor cannot afford to spend 90 paise. If he has an addiction to bidi, he will spend at least Rs. 2 per day on bidi. So he can very well afford 90 paise for insurance.

You may have seen here on the stage that I had the privilege of handing over Rs. 2 lakh to the mother of a tribal community. What was this Rs. 2 lakh for? She had purchased Life Insurance with a premium of 90 paise. Her family had objected to it. Unfortunately the head of the family died and thanks to the 90 paise, she is getting Rs.2 lakh insurance today. The poor mother has received Rs. 2 lakh. Now you tell me, this initiative will help the person during this bad phase or not?

My representatives and heads of the Panchayat, there shall not be any family in the village that will not have a Jan Dhan bank account and insurance with minimum premium of 90 paise. If that family meets with an unfortunate incident, it will get a financial assistance of Rs. 2 lakh. The family will not be a burden on the village. Can you not do this work?

I want to draw your attention to three things-

One is Jan dhan, secondly Van dhan and thirdly gobardhan. We can bring about a great economic transformation in villages through these three things. With the help of Jan Dhan Yojana we can bring every citizen into the mainstream of the economy.

Van dhan- we have abundant natural resources and forest resources. If there are neem trees in a village and understanding its value if a group of women collect the Neem pods that fall from Neem trees and churn out its oil, they can be used for coating urea. It will be a new source of income for these women. The neem pods that once used to get wasted in the soil can now be a resource – a van dhan. Can't we bring about these changes?

I would like to tell all my tribal brothers living in forests and the governments that today the Madhya Pradesh government has launched a big scheme for the tribal community of which Van dhan is of great importance.

Thirdly, Gobardhan Yojana- villages have abundant livestock. Their ‘gobar’ or excreta is not utilized scientifically. If we look at the waste and garbage of the villages as an asset, we can produce gas, electricity and fertilizer out of it. Even without urea, the village can prepare good quality Fertilizer in this way. Moreover, it will prevent diseases from affecting the village and this can be done without money. This can be done by taking advantage of the government's schemes.

Therefore brothers and sisters,

I appeal to all the panchayats across the country, to the 2.4 Lakh villages from the land of mother Narmada, Mandla with the blessings of mother Durgavati, come and take a resolution, to fulfil Mahatma Gandhi's dreams by the year 2022 that will mark 75 years of India's Independence. This year, 2nd October will mark 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This will be a great opportunity for all of us to fulfil Gandhi's dream of an ideal village. All of us should strive to change the villages to change the country. All of us should make proper use of funds in the villages.

I launched a program today in which a new technology has been used through which the citizens will be able to track the government's work progress on their mobile phones ranging from the amount of money sanctioned, the purpose for which it has been allotted, whether that job has been accomplished or not, the place where it was supposed to be done, so on and so forth. Suppose you see that the well that was supposed to be constructed out of the allocated money has not been constructed yet, you can ask the government officials about it. They will be compelled to get it done within a month. You tell me, in this manner the system will become transparent or not? And environment of honesty will prevail in the villages. The government officials will be accountable.

So my dear brothers and sisters,

We should do the right thing at the right time. These 5 years of your governance can turn into a golden period. The village would remember your work that transformed the condition of the village. We should move ahead with this resolution. Today I got the opportunity of inaugurating an LPG plant here. You must have seen that we are delivering gas cylinders to the people for free. Now we are establishing factories for gas cylinders. This factory will be established with an investment of Rs. 120 crores. The work of delivering gas cylinders to the nearby districts like Satna, Rewa, Singrauli, Shahdol, Umaria, Dindori, Anuppur, Mandla, Balaghat, Jabalpur Katni, Damoh etc. will become easier. The people here will get new employment opportunities. I got this opportunity to do this work among you today.

We can talk about several topics. But I want all of us to move ahead with the mantra of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai vigyan' in the villages.

I just heard Shivraj ji saying that the government of India has now come out with a law that provides capital punishment for those monstrous men who harass the daughters. I saw that when the Chief Minister was saying this the entire pavilion was echoing with the applause from the people. The applause was not fading away. The government in Delhi is the one that listens to your heart and then makes decisions.

I would say that we should learn to respect our daughters in the family. We should give priority and importance to the daughters in our families and also teach our sons to be responsible. If we start teaching our sons to be responsible then it will never be difficult to keep our daughter safe. Whoever commits a heinous offence shall be hanged to death. But in our families as well we should take the responsibility of ensuring the safety of our daughters. We need to start a mass movement. All of us can get the country rid of these troubles. I want all of you to take these things forward.

The government has envisaged an important task. Unfortunately the fight for Independence was limited only to a few people and a few families. I don't know why the stories of the real sacrifices have not been included in the pages of history.

Even before 1857 for several years during the period of colonization several ancestors from India had made sacrifices for self-respect, culture or freedom. Even after 1857, very few people are aware because it has been erased from the memory of the people that my tribal brothers and sisters had made several sacrifices for freedom of the country. They had fought several great wars for the honour of India. Great personalities like Durgavati, Avantibai, Birsa Munda had sacrificed their lives for the country.

It is my dream that a museum would be created in every state for the ancestors from the tribal community who had fought against the British rulers. The school students will be taken to these museums and will be told about the tribal brothers who had sacrificed their lives for our country's culture and history. This work will be undertaken even in Madhya Pradesh in the future.

Therefore my brothers and sisters,

Commemorating mother Durgavati from the land of Mandla, I offer my heartfelt best wishes to the people who have organized the tribal festival for the empowerment of Panchayati Raj so as to strengthen our democracy and for the welfare of the mother earth and the villages. I congratulate Mr Tomarji, Rupalaji and all the officials of his department for initiating the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan in the entire country.

On 30th April, an awareness program will be organized regarding Ayushman Bharat. Workshops will be organized for the farmers on May 2nd. All the issues related to the village life will be taken up. I request you all to participate with a new enthusiasm and hope.

With this expectation, I wish you all good luck, thanks a lot!

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Imagine you have to give a speech on the topic 'India's Changing Villages'. Write a speech on it in about 100 words.

India’s changing villages. india is a land of villages. it is said that real india lives in villages. about seventy per cent of its population lives in villages. india is undergoing revolutionary changes. its villages are not untouched by those changes. the changes are reflected in every walk of life. these changes have been brought by various agents. these include science, technology, and spread of education, advent of media in rural areas, industrialisation, urbanisation and migration. hence the lifestyle, attitude and thinking have changed greatly in rural india. in fact these factors have combined to change the ritualistic rural society into a dynamic society. once upon a time caste-based division has been prominently visible in rural india. but things are rapidly changing now. people do not care for any such distinction. there is an interdependence existence in society. there is a close interaction of people of different castes, creeds and religions, among them for various purposes. the outlook of the villagers has undergone sea change. they have begun to see things in broader context. this is a good sign..

Documenting India's Villages Before They Vanish

The country's greatest chronicler of rural life embarks on a mission to digitize, well, everything.

NEW DELHI—When Palagummi Sainath was starting out as a young reporter in the 1980s, his news agency sent him into India’s heartland to collect the usual sob stories from farmers devastated by drought. Farmer after farmer explained to him that the disaster was not an accident of weather, but a man-made crisis caused by bad government policies. But when Sainath got back to Mumbai and read through the stories that he’d filed, he found that none of them captured what was happening on the ground. Relying on his training, he’d afforded undue weight to the narrative put forward by Indian officials. “That’s when I realized that conventional journalism is about the service of power,” he says today.

The epiphany shaped his career.

Frustrated by urban Indians’ headlong sprint to forget their rural roots following the liberalization of the country’s economy in 1991, Sainath applied for a journalism fellowship to travel through 10 rural districts in various Indian states and report on how the end of socialist-style planning, and the residue of its mistakes, was affecting India’s farms and villages. The senior journalists on the selection panel begged him to reconsider. The task was too big, and the budget too small, they warned. “‘You’ll be bankrupt after three districts,’ they told me. I was bankrupt after two,” Sainath recalled when I spoke with him by telephone last week from Princeton, where he is teaching this semester. Nevertheless, he kept going, selling cameras to stay afloat. “In the end, I did 19 districts. I covered more than 100,000 kilometers, much of it on foot.”

The result was a series of newspaper articles, later collected in book form under the title Everybody Loves a Good Drought (the title refers to a quote from a villager describing the way local bureaucrats and contractors line their pockets with government-relief packages). The reporting captured the complexity of rural poverty in India as a function of state policy and centuries-old social relationships—not in dry statistics but through engaging characters whom urban readers could recognize. When I searched out a copy a decade or so ago, it reminded me of James Agee’s Dust Bowl classic Let Us Now Praise Famous Men . But Sainath’s style is less high-flown and his tone less earnest. He’s more like a world-weary cousin of New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, as illustrated by a lengthy flight of fancy about all the brilliant progress India could make in eliminating its housing shortage if it redefined a sleeping bag as a house.

Now Sainath is at it again, leading an encyclopedic, volunteer-driven effort to digitize the faces, songs, arts, occupations, and struggles of India’s rapidly changing farms and villages. Called the People’s Archive of Rural India , or PARI, the project—in its ambition, at least—dwarfs Alan Lomax’s campaign to collect American blues and folk songs and James Murray’s crowdsourced Oxford English Dictionary. The website went live in December, featuring photographs, audio recordings, videos, and texts that document the celebrations and tribulations that make up “the everyday life of everyday people,” as Sainath puts it.

Among the goals: collect photographs of the faces of one man, one woman, and one child in every district of India; record speakers of all 780 Indian languages ; chronicle the story of India’s agrarian crisis; and gather in full text all official (and unofficial but credible) reports relating to rural India, so researchers will not have to scour badly designed government websites to access vital studies. Sainath wants the archive to be as much a weapon as a resource. It will document not only music and festivals but also the rural India that remains “ugly, obnoxious, and dehumanizing, and deserves to die—like untouchability and atrocities against women.”

A suave, erudite man with a disheveled mop of silver curls, Sainath is not the son of the soil I imagined when I first read Everybody Loves a Good Drought . He hails from neither the grain belt of Punjab nor the cotton belt of Maharashtra, but from Tamil Nadu in India’s deep south. Though he sometimes dresses like a jholawallah —a mildly disparaging term applied to India’s leftist activists—he speaks in the plummy, British-inflected accent that marks the Indian elite of his generation. He lives in the metropolis of Mumbai, though he claims to have spent an average of 270 days a year in Indian villages beginning in 1993. Since his first drought, he’s been fascinated by the resilience of India’s farmers and forest-dwellers.

“My generation has lost its connection to rural India,” Sainath, who’s 57, told me. “The generation that’s coming after us doesn’t even know that a connection existed. My grandmother’s generation knew that water came from rains, and they put out vessels to catch the rain. My generation grew up thinking that water came from a tap. Today’s generation thinks that water comes out of plastic bottles.”

So far, Sainath has recruited more than 1,000 volunteers for the archive project, ranging from 30-year veterans of the journalism business to software engineers who’ve nary written a word. They’ve documented some fascinating characters. One of them is a 73-year-old librarian who manages a trove of 170 classics, mostly translations of Russian masters, in a tiny forest village frequented by wild elephants. Another is a young folk dancer who overcame poverty and untouchability—the outlawed but still lingering practice of treating certain castes as “polluted” sub-humans—to win a spot at the country’s top institute for the classical Bharatanatyam form , which, after India’s independence in 1947, has become as much the domain of the elite as ballet is in the United States. Still another is a tribal bard , captured in spontaneous composition-performance of a song protesting the acquisition of his tribe’s ancestral lands by the South Korean steel giant POSCO.

But there are hundreds of thousands of miles yet to travel. Rural India is home to some 800 million people who speak hundreds of languages. Sainath reckons that he’s already spent between $30,000 and $40,000 on the nonprofit project since late 2012, drawing on journalism awards and prizes, along with his own money. But he says he’ll need around $240,000 over the next two years to fund sojourns in rural India by 70-odd “chroniclers.” Though he attracts 150 volunteers a week to do everything from writing articles to helping with back-end work, the quality of some of the content is spotty. And as with many other new-media ventures, it’s unclear whether sufficient thought has gone into the question of what the archive will be—a historical resource or an outlet for subaltern journalism—or how it will survive.

India is currently undergoing what Sainath calls “an extremely painful transformation.” The country’s 2011 census reflected one of the largest mass migrations in history—one that has swelled over the past decade. For the first time, the census recorded more population growth in cities than villages. But despite rapid economic growth in India, the shift bears more resemblance to the Joads leaving the Dust Bowl for California than the Great Migration of southern blacks to Chicago and Detroit. Indians are not so much leaving the countryside to seek better-paying jobs in the city, as they are fleeing increasing poverty resulting from the stagnation of agricultural growth, the rising cost of inputs like water and fertilizer, and a shortage of land. India’s landless agricultural laborers now outnumber landed farmers, and the average plot size of those who do own land is shrinking . Roughly three-quarters of India’s land-owning farmers now till less than two and a half acres of land, according to the latest report by India’s National Sample Survey Organization. They can hope to earn around $84 a month with that sized plot, but it costs them $96 a month to raise their crops, forcing small-scale farmers to take on other jobs to make ends meet. A lack of crop insurance, poor access to low-cost loans, and unpredictable rains—plus cultural pressure to shell out fat dowries and lavish weddings for their daughters—leave many farmers crippled by debt.

Some give up altogether. As many as 300,000 farmers have committed suicide over the past two decades. While statistics such as this, along with the causes behind them, are hotly contested , Sainath argues that the suicide rate among Indian farmers is 47-percent higher than the national average—and believes that the actual number of farmer suicides may be higher than reported. Countless indigenous tribal people, too, have lost their lands and cultures to dams, mines, and tiger reserves.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sees this transformation as inevitable. Expressing scorn for programs like his predecessors’ rural-employment guarantee, which helped the poor survive but kept them on the farm, he has promised to create 300 million jobs in “industrial corridors” through schemes like “ Make in India ,” which reduces or removes caps on foreign investment in various business sectors. But critics like farm-policy analyst Devinder Sharma say desperation is pushing people out of the countryside far faster than industry can create jobs for them in cities and towns. Among the hot-button issues in India at the moment is an executive order by Modi that allows the government to force farmers to sell their land for infrastructure projects without seeking their consent.

“We have not created 300 million jobs over the past 67 years since independence,” Sharma told me, noting that only 8 percent of Indians work in the formal sector of the economy. “How can you create that number in five years?” he asked, referring to the Indian government’s term limit.

Technology, including the Internet-based sort at the heart of Sainath’s archive project, has both been blamed for causing India’s agrarian crisis and held up as a magical solution to farmers’ woes.

For example, hybrid wheat and rice sparked the Green Revolution that saved India from starvation in the 1960s—that is, until pesticides and chemical fertilizers depleted the soil and boosted cancer rates , according to activists like Vandana Shiva, a prominent advocate of organic farming. Banks and finance companies often grant farmers easy access to loans to buy tractors, whether or not the farmers own enough land to make a tractor pay for itself—to the point where Punjab villagers routinely take out a loan to buy an $8,000 tractor, only to flip it and buy a new car for their daughter’s dowry, according to Sharma. “One of the biggest reasons for farmer suicides is that we have loaded the farmer with unwanted technologies,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Indian Tobacco Company and various nonprofits have promoted Internet kiosks as a way to free farmers from rapacious middlemen by giving them direct access to market information. Companies like Reuters and Nokia have proposed mobile updates with weather reports and expert crop advice to increase farm output. Top banks and mobile-service providers have teamed up to offer financial services through rural Indians’ mobile phones in a bid to get hundreds of millions of people out of the moneylender system and into the banking system. And, in the latest silicon dream, Modi has proposed 100 technology-enabled “smart cities” to bring rural Indians out of the countryside altogether.

But none of these innovations has struck at the root of the problem, which is that farmers who increasingly till plots smaller than a football field cannot hope to earn a living wage. Still, Aditya Dev Sood at the Center for Knowledge Societies told me that mobile- and Internet-based technologies have increased rural incomes and had more radical sociological effects. Interconnectivity with the outside world is eroding the “closed social networks” of the village that have fostered the ghettoization of Muslims and untouchables. “I’m willing to hazard that within my lifetime we’re going to see that change utterly,” he said.

Sainath—whose archive project lies somewhere between these dystopian and utopian visions—is not so sure. One moment he’s enthusiastically relating an anecdote about a taxi driver in the city of Raipur who hailed from a Punjab village and found Sainath’s project so interesting that he posted about it on Facebook using his mobile phone. The next he’s expressing reservations about the growing monopolization of the web, which in India has recently taken the form of companies like Facebook and Flipkart (an Indian competitor to Amazon) teaming up with mobile companies to offer free Internet access—a move that some see as a threat to net neutrality.

Peasants and small landholders have historically resisted being documented in archives, Sainath notes, since they recognize that being measured and recorded may be the first step to being dispossessed. Recently, for instance, slum dwellers prevented the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board from conducting a survey of 33 out of 622 slum clusters slated for “resettlement” in low-income housing. And governments have often found reasons to censor or restrict access to the archives they control. Today’s India is no different , Sainath says.

Sainath’s project accepts no government funding or corporate sponsorship. And unlike a magazine or TV station, it grants primary credit for all its material to the people who are depicted in the archive rather than the writers or filmmakers who document them, in addition to training and encouraging “subjects” to take pictures and make films themselves. In other words, control over information related to rural people is taken out of the hands of governments and corporations.

“Ours is a people’s archive,” Sainath said. “It can’t lead to dispossession. Nobody can take it down or make it their own.” Yet the archive’s very reason for existence is the rapid dispossession of the people it seeks to celebrate and defend. And even if nobody can take down the site, the archivists may struggle to avoid sinking into oblivion amid the cacophony of the Internet, which itself operates at the whim of governments and corporations.

Sainath is optimistic about what the archive could become. “We want that parents will show this to their kids. We want schools to use it in their courses,” he said. But he also concedes the challenge ahead. “The site is gigantic,” he noted, “and we are few.”

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The Changing Village in India: Insights from Longitudinal Research

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India has a long-standing tradition of village studies. Within this tradition, observation of the same village or villages over long periods of time has a special place, because it highlights the transformation of economic systems and social structures in rural areas. The essays in this volume examine the challenges and outcomes of such longitudinal research from a variety of angles. They address three broad themes: the first concerns the method and conceptual framework of longitudinal village studies; the second shows how wide and integrated accounts of particular villages can improve understanding of both economy and society; and the third explores particular topics in some detail, including production structures, land, labour, gender, and migration, within this broader framework. By bringing together these different contributions, the book aims to illustrate the range of analytical and policy issues that can be addressed in such long-term studies; highlights the problems and potentials of the longitudinal method; and encourages more work in this tradition.

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• AIF COVID19 Response
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In 2020, AIF quickly pivoted to address the critical situation in India and the United States. In India, AIF leveraged its programs’ infrastructure on health, education, and livelihoods via its wide network to address the needs of the nation with ventilators, PPE, and other interventions in order to save the lives of vulnerable Indians from COVID-19. Read the report here.

In 2021, India recorded the world’s highest daily tally of 314,835 COVID-19 infections on April 22nd, as this second wave sent many more into a fragile health care system, critically short of hospital beds and oxygen. Working with our partners, hospitals, and governments, AIF has launched a three-pronged Phase 2 Emergency Response Strategy to address this crisis. Here is an overview.

The American India Foundation is committed to improving the lives of India’s underprivileged, with a special focus on women, children, and youth. AIF does this through high impact interventions in education, health, and livelihoods, because poverty is multidimensional. AIF’s unique value proposition is its broad engagement between communities, civil society, and expertise, thereby building a lasting bridge between the United States and India. With offices in New York and California, twelve chapters across the U.S., and India operations headquartered in Delhi NCR, AIF has impacted 6.7 million lives across 26 states of India.

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Transformative Travels Connecting with India’s Roots – A Story of People, Culture, and Progress Through Tradition and Innovation

 “change takes time. but, it also takes people.”, – sharad sagar  .

I deeply resonate with the profound words of Sharad Sagar , a globally renowned social entrepreneur, noted thought leader, and widely followed youth icon. His one of the famous quote, “Change Takes Time. But It Also Takes People,” encapsulates the essence of my recent journey. I realized that change is not just a product of time; it results from the collective effort of dedicated individuals, organizations and communities working together toward a common goal. This journey has been a testament to the power of community-driven change. It has reaffirmed my belief in the transformative impact that can be achieved when people come together, united by a shared vision and a commitment to creating a better future. As I traveled to two different corners of India, from the vibrant coastal towns of Tamil Nadu to the serene valleys of Ladakh, I witnessed firsthand the resilience, ingenuity and spirit of the people who are driving change in their communities.

AIF Fellowship and Professional Development Program

In April, as part of the AIF Fellowship, I secured a professional development grant opportunity for a site-cum-study visit to two organizations. I traveled to two opposite corners of India. One was Sittilingi village in the Sittilingi Valley of Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu, where I visited the Tribal Health Initiative (THI). The other was in Phyang village, about 16 km away from Leh city in Ladakh, where I visited the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Ladakh   (HIAL).

Embracing Cultural Diversity

Despite language barriers and differences in food, faith, customs and culture, I was able to explore both remote and barely accessible locations with utmost enjoyment and satisfaction. From the 36 degrees Celsius humid heat of Tamil Nadu to the -6 degrees cold and snowy weather in Ladakh, it felt like both places accepted me as I am. This reminds me of the rich culture and civilization we have as a nation.

Picture Credit: Author

Experiencing True Hospitality

In these remote places with little or no internet connectivity, I found myself fully immersed in the local way of life. Walking alone, staying with the community, meeting people of all age groups, sitting by the seaside, and climbing snowy mountains, everywhere I went, everyone welcomed me with open hearts and lots of love. This is why India is known for “ Atithi Devo Bhava ,” which means the guest is equivalent to God.

The Essence of Community Connection

At both places, during my interactions with community members, most of them asked how much I liked the place and its scenery. My simple reply was, “Of course, I like the mountains and places, but these are secondary. The primary thing I like the most is the people—children, youngsters, women, and the elderly—who did everything possible to make me feel at home and like family.”

            Picture Credit: Author

Integrating Indigenous Methods with Modern Mechanisms

At both organizations, I found a commonality. They were integrating indigenous methods with modern mechanisms. At the core of their work, I saw a deep-rooted approach to engaging and involving the community on a large scale. They don’t just follow a template; their methods are derived from the people they serve. They are working with under-resourced tribal and Dalit communities who are marginalized in society.

Engaging Communities for Effective Development

In the development sector, we often consider ourselves experts and, with our preconceived notions, identify problems that might not be issues for the community. Conversely, if there are problems at the community level, we think we are more educated and propose solutions without consulting the community. Then we realize our proposed solutions don’t work for that particular community. However, here I saw a different approach. The organizations engaged community members as much as possible to understand what they considered problems and what solutions they wanted. This helps bring real-time systemic and positive change.

Tribal Hospital: A Model of People-Friendly Healthcare

Through this PDG at Tribal Health Initiative (THI), an organization founded by Dr. Regi and Dr. Lalitha, I had the opportunity to explore the environment and people-friendly tribal hospitals they established in the Sittilingi Valley. During my interaction with the founders, I was impressed by their statement, “Doctors should not work for diseases; they should work for health.” It was great to learn that after working for 10 years, they brought down the infant mortality rate from 147 to 42 in the community. I have experienced people who don’t only see this just as a hospital but as a community to learn and hope for themselves. Being there I never felt like I was in a hospital. It felt like I was in some peaceful natural place because of its ambiance and the values they have built. 

                       Picture Credit: Staff of THI

Reviving Traditional Practices for Sustainable Development

I also explored other initiatives of THI, like SOFA (Sittilingi Organic Farmer Associations), which started in 2004 with 4 farmers and now has 750. This initiative not only addresses socio-economic issues but also revives traditional organic farming practices, saving soil, water, and the environment. Farmers set the prices for their crops, most of which are nutrient-rich millets.

Additionally, I visited Thulir School (Thulir is a Tamil word that means sprout or first leaves of a plant), started by Anuradha and Krishna, friends of Sittilingi. This school emphasizes tribal and cultural values and hands-on learning about agriculture and the environment, providing a safe space for children to learn beyond the classroom.

I got the opportunity to visit their craft project center as well. They are working for the revival of the art and craft of the Lambadi tribe. The Lambadi, initially a nomadic tribe from north-western India, migrated southward about 300 to 500 years ago to avoid persecution. They eventually settled in some parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The name of the craft center is Porgai (Porgai in the Lambadi dialect means pride). As a result, now there are than 70 women artisans who have learned and are engaged in from the nearby village and earning good money while earlier, they were engaged in farm labor work where they faced uncertainties about their income. 

 Picture Credit: Author

Himalayan Institute of Alternative Ladakh: Innovating for the Future

At the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Ladakh (HIAL) in Phyang village, I explored their major initiatives like Ice Stupa, responsible tourism, energy and plantation. I was impressed by their building construction methods, using local bricks that are climate and weather-friendly. They helped the Indian Army build such buildings, reducing pollution and reusing waste material. Their campus runs entirely on solar energy, and they have a polycarbonate greenhouse for growing 100% organic items. I attended some of their meetings, brainstormed and gave inputs to the responsible & Eco tourism team. I met with Founding director, Sonam Wangchuk and Founder and CEO Gitanjali JB and other teams. I addressed the team in the morning introspection session and explore the idea of the institute of providing contextual education, Experiential learning through HIAL, and long-term goals. 

Picture Credit: Stanzin & Tsering, staff of HIAL

SECMOL: Blending Tradition with Modern Education

I also visited The Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) in Phey village. Founded in 1988, SECMOL is not a conventional school but a safe space to pursue practical, environmental, social, and traditional knowledge, values, and skills. Students learn ancient traditions alongside modern academics and mainly manage, run and maintain the campus. I stayed one day at this beautiful campus and conducted a session on youth leadership, education and social work for nation-building.

                          Picture Credit: SECMOL Stundets

Reflections on the Power of Community-Driven Change

Both visits provided insights into the commendable work these organizations are doing by integrating traditional and modern knowledge and technology. They offered ample opportunities to interact with communities, learn about their culture, practices, and traditions, and witness their holistic development approaches that consider flora, fauna, and available resources. This is essential for preparing for the needs of future generations.

I am thankful to my mentor for guiding me in selecting such esteemed organizations for this visit, the AIF and Fellowship teams for providing grants, and the people from both organizations for their support and resources. The community members and families’ unwavering love and hospitality made this journey full of learning, fun, and wonder. This journey reaffirmed my belief in the power of community-driven change, where time and collective effort converge to create a lasting impact.

Thanks to the PDG, I connected with my co-Fellows, Aashritha Murli from Chennai and Hameem Muhammad from Auroville. Beyond work, I met their families and gained insight into their personal and cultural backgrounds. This experience underscores a key component of our Fellowship—the opportunity to learn from each other and build meaningful relationships across diverse backgrounds.

                 Picture Credit: Author

Born and brought up in a small town of Bihar, Vineet grew up with limited resources, and hoped to change the world with his leadership and expertise. From his high school days, he has been raising awareness on the most critical issues of the 21st century through campaigns and social work in some of the most remote and isolated villages of India on themes of governance, public policy and pollution to youth, Women Empowerment and Social Justice. In 2018, he graduated from the Dexterity School of Leadership and Entrepreneurship and became one of the 50 young leaders selected from South Asia to solve the Harvard negotiations challenge, learned from Forbes-listed CEOs, and met policymakers and social leaders which reinforced his vision of public service. He has been also selected by the U.S. Consulate General Kolkata and Chennai, and American Centre New Delhi for different programs and has implemented various projects with them. Additionally, he has served as a public service fellow with various organisations as well as government bodies and worked in different areas of social work practice, policy and governance. Vineet is proud to be serving as an AIF Banyan Impact Fellow and getting the opportunity to explore the public health domain in the development sector.

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Imagine you have to give a speech on the topic 'India 's Changing Villages' . Write a speech on it in about 100 words.

More from this Exercise

"India's Changing Villages" The Indian Villages which comprise majority of the heart and soul of India, they provide her with agricultural products. Today, thanks to many movements these villages have improved the education, housing, transport and communication. These villages if I may call them 'Givers' are now receiving electricity and water irrigation systems, which in tum, has empowered them to give us more in return. But yet with all these changes we have only come along a small way. We must provide them with more of necessities, empower them to create an environ- ment of comfort and efficiency for themselves.

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Knowledge Check

Which typology of question does the following question belong to imagine you are the narrator of the story. write an entry in your diary about your experiences in about 100 words., select the most appropriate word to fill in the blank. you have memorised your speech, ______ you (a) hasn’t (b) haven’t (c) couldn’t (d) didn’t, similar questions.

Answer the following questions as per instructions : (B) You wish to take part in the intercollegiate elucution competition. One of the topics threin is 'Importance of Cleanliness.' Preapare a speech on it in about 100 words

You wish to take part in the elocution contest in your jonior College . One of the topics therein is Disadvantages of Television Prepare a speech on it in about 100 words.

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1 Minute Speech on Changing Face of India In English

A very good morning to one and all present here. Today, I’ll be making a small speech on the topic ‘Changing Face of India’. 

The India of ancient days is not the India we see today. India is not even what it was a decade ago! The developing country that it is, its progress may be small but is significant and can be seen as the years come by.

India has attained much growth in various fields, be it science, technology, and even in industry. The Indian economy as a whole has, in fact, seen a major surge, the inflation rate astonishing.

India has also seen enormous growth pertaining to women, who previously were oppressed a lot. Caste system is not as rigid either. 

India still has a lot to work on in these fields. The development is not complete but we are getting there.

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PM spells out vision for Independent India@100

In his speech, the PM focused on the past, present and the future.

In a speech that began with an acknowledgment of the contribution of India’s freedom fighters including Jawaharlal Nehru, outlined recent steps India had taken to ensure the “ease of living” and “ease of doing business”, highlighted current governance challenges including the pandemic and the climate crisis, and laid out a future vision for India at 100 in 2047, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that no obstacle could stop the country from achieving its dreams in the 21st century and declared that India now has the political will to undertake major reforms. Importantly, he said everyone has to do their bit to achieve all this, adding “sabka prayas” (everyone’s effort) to his government’s slogan.

Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on India’s 75th Independence Day, PM Modi unveiled a national blueprint with limited State interference in the everyday life of citizens; a focus on small farmers and rural economy; energy independence with the announcement of a National Hydrogen Mission; a boost to manufacturing, technology, infrastructure and start-ups; employment generation for the young with a ₹ 100 lakh crore PM Gati Shakti master plan; equity for women and vulnerable sections of society; and balanced regional development with a focus on Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and the Northeast.

In a reference to national security challenges from Pakistan and China, without naming the two countries, the PM underlined India’s battle against “terrorism” and “expansionism” and said the country would do all it needed to strengthen the armed forces. He did not, however, mention the evolving situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban reached the gates of Kabul on Sunday, after a successful military offensive across the country.

India’s Olympic contingent was present at the Red Fort, with PM Modi hailing the success of Indian athletes — with seven medals across six sports, India had its most successful run in Tokyo this year.

The Opposition has criticised the speech, with the Congress accusing him of only making announcements about schemes in his Independence Day speeches and not implementing them. “He announces new schemes but these are never implemented or seen on the ground. He says a lot of things but never adheres to them,” senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters.

The Congress also took a swipe at the PM for his announcement of ₹ 100 lakh crore for the infrastructure sector, saying he has been talking of it since 2019. “It has been two years since August 15, 2019. At least, the 100 lakh crore figure could have been changed,” Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in a tweet.

Looking back, he hailed the contribution of a range of freedom fighters from across different strands (both non-violent and revolutionary) of the national movement, spoke of India’s struggle for the “motherland, culture and freedom”, and reiterated that August 14 would be henceforth marked as the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. “It was one of the biggest tragedies of the last century and the memories of the pain persist… people went through inhuman times... and many didn’t even get a proper farewell. It is important for them to be alive in our memories.” The government’s announcement to this effect on Saturday triggered a mixed response, with many hailing it as a much-needed effort at acknowledging the past while others criticising it for reopening old wounds which may aggravate the politics of division.

Turning to the present, the PM spoke of the Covid-19 pandemic as a huge challenge, hailed Corona warriors for their contribution, and highlighted India’s vaccination programme, the world’s largest such exercise. “India doesn’t need to be dependent on others for vaccines. Imagine what would have happened if India didn’t have its own vaccine? Where would we have got it?” While both Covishield and Covaxin are manufactured in India (the latter has also been developed in India), the government has come under criticism for not ensuring timely clearance to foreign-made vaccines which would have helped meet the supply deficit.

But the PM also acknowledged the scale of the devastation without directly referring to the second wave this summer, which saw daily cases climb up to over 400,000 and deaths cross 4,000 — widely seen by experts as a conservative estimate. “It is true that fewer people in India have got infected, that we have succeeded in saving more people in terms of population ratio compared to other countries. But to say that we didn’t face challenges would be to close doors for development in the future. We have fewer resources, our population is higher, our lifestyle is different. Despite all our efforts, we couldn’t save many people and this intolerable pain will stay with us.”

A large part of the PM’s speech was focused on welfare delivery, justice for vulnerable segments and steps undertaken for rural economy and farmers.

While outlining the various welfare measures in the past seven years — for instance, provision of gas cylinders through the Ujjwala scheme, rural roads and housing, toilets, electrification, health insurance through Ayushman Bharat, and financial inclusion — the PM said it was now time to move towards saturation coverage. “The pace of government schemes has increased, they are meeting their targets, the poor are benefiting directly now. But we now need to move towards 100% coverage.”

The PM made it clear — at a time when the debate on reservations, caste census, and categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) has made its way back in political discourse — that there had to be “handholding” of the marginalised. Beyond facilities, this meant continued reservations for Dalits, tribals, OBCs and poor of general categories.

He also spoke of the need for development to be all-inclusive and all-encompassing, touching all regions. “India’s east, Northeast, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himalayan region states, coastal areas, the tribal belt will become the basis of India’s development in the future.” The PM said there has been balanced regional development in both Jammu and Kashmir after the effective abrogation of Article 370 and referred to the establishment of the delimitation commission and plans to hold assembly elections; spoke of Ladakh’s development potential; highlighted the enhanced connectivity in the Northeast and between the Northeast and India’s neighbours to the east; and focused on improved development indicators in 110 aspirational districts.

In terms of the rural economy, the PM spoke of enhanced facilities and connectivity in villages giving rise to digital entrepreneurs, the value of cooperatives in the backdrop of the formation of a separate ministry of cooperation at the Centre (led by Amit Shah), and the role of self-help groups, announcing a new e-commerce platform to enable such groups to market and sell their products elsewhere.

But the PM’s focus was on agriculture — in the context of prolonged opposition to the new farm laws pushed by the Centre last year. The PM spoke of the need to incorporate scientific feedback to enhance production, and why India must frame policies keeping in view the interests of small farmers, even coining a new slogan of how small farmers are the “pride of India”. “80% of India’s farmers own less than 2 hectares of land each; there is increased fragmentation of land. Past policies did not prioritise these farmers. Agricultural reforms are meant to benefit these farmers”. The PM highlighted the government’s insurance scheme, Kisan credit card, farmers producers organisation, construction of warehouses at the block level, the PM-Kisan scheme under which farmers get an income assistance of ₹ 6000 each annually, Kisan rail links, and steps to boost export potential of agriculture as evidence of a shift in policy.

But along with this, with an eye on the future, the PM also flagged the role of sectors which are essential for India’s future development trajectory — “next generation infrastructure... world class manufacturing... cutting edge technology... new age technology”.

In this context, he referred to Make in India (singling out electronics manufacturing and indigenous defence production as successes), the role of infrastructure (with a focus on the ₹ 100 lakh crore national infrastructure pipeline), the success of startups (with a reference to how they are the new “wealth creators”, with many have turned into unicorns of a valuation in excess of $1 billion), and exports (with an appeal to Indian exporters to focus on quality with an eye on global markets). “Major reforms and decisions need political will. And in India, there is no shortage of political will. The world knows we are writing a new chapter of governance”.

Redefining the idea of next generation reforms, the PM focused on the need to make service delivery more accessible for citizens till the last mile. “Earlier, the government was in the driving seat. Now, times have changed. We must end the unnecessary interference of the government and government processes in the lives of citizens. We have liberated people from unnecessary laws... 15,000 compliance requirements were ended... Liberation from laws is good for both ease of living and ease of doing businesses.”

The PM also spoke of the role of education, in light of the New Education Policy, with a focus on how education in one’s mother tongue is a weapon in the fight against poverty and need not be an obstacle. Taking off from the success of women athletes in the Tokyo Olympics, the PM highlighted how women were excelling in each field and ready to take their space and it was the duty of citizens, police, the criminal justice system and all stakeholders to ensure women were secure and had respect. He also announced that Sainik schools will now be open for girls too.

With climate emerging as a key governance challenge — with new warnings about how the climate crisis is already straining environment and will have huge implications for India’s political economy and livelihoods — the PM said environmental security was now a part of national security.

He said that India was an energy dependent nation, spending ₹ 12 lakh crore for its energy needs every year — and declared a goal of making India energy independent by the 100th year of Indian independence. The PM also announced the launch of a National Hydrogen Mission, a mission circular economy, and highlighted attempts in areas of recycling, organic farming, energy conservation, protection of wildlife and increase of forest cover, renewables.

“India is changing... it can take difficult decisions and doesn’t hesitate,” said PM Modi, referring to the decisions on Article 370, the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax, implementation of one-rank-one-pension, peaceful resolution of the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute, constitutional status to the backwards commission, district elections in Kashmir, record foreign direct investment , and surgical and air strikes across the border.

• Pm Modi Independence Day Speech

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Leaflet by Leaflet, a Few Aging Activists Fight India’s Tide of Bigotry

As politicians stoke religious hatred online, these veterans of social causes deliver their messages in person: “Talk to each other. Don’t let anyone divide you.”

By Sameer Yasir

Reporting from Lucknow and New Delhi in India

One recent morning, Roop Rekha Verma, an 80-year-old peace activist and former university leader, walked through a north Indian neighborhood prone to sectarian strife and parked herself near a tea shop.

From her sling bag, she pulled out a bundle of pamphlets bearing messages of religious tolerance and mutual coexistence and began handing them to passers-by.

“Talk to each other. Don’t let anyone divide you,” one read in Hindi.

Spreading those simple words is an act of bravery in today’s India.

Ms. Verma and others like her are waging a lonely battle against a tide of hatred and bigotry increasingly normalized by India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, or B.J.P.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his deputies have vilified the country’s minorities in a yearslong campaign that has escalated during the current national election, the small band of aging activists has built bridges and preached harmony between religious groups.

They have continued to hit the pavement even as the price for dissent and free speech has become high, trying to keep the flame alive for the nonsectarian ideal embedded in India’s constitution and in their own memories.

More than three dozen human rights defenders, poets, journalists and opposition politicians face charges, including under antiterrorism laws, for criticizing Mr. Modi’s divisive policies, according to rights groups. (The government has said little about the charges, other than repeating its line that the law takes its own course.)

The crackdown has had a chilling effect on many Indians.

“That is where the role of these civil society activists becomes more important,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, a deputy director at Human Rights Watch. “Despite a crackdown, they are refusing to cow down, leading them to hold placards, distributing fliers, to revive a message that once was taken for granted.”

The use of posters and pamphlets to raise public awareness is a time-tested practice among Indian activists. Revolutionaries fighting for independence from British colonizers employed them to drum up support and mobilize ordinary Indians. Today, village leaders use them to spread awareness about health and other government programs.

Such old-school outreach may seem quixotic in the digital age. Every day, India’s social media spaces, reaching hundreds of millions of people, are inundated with anti-Muslim vitriol promoted by the B.J.P. and its associated right-wing organizations.

During the national election that ends next week, Mr. Modi and his party have targeted Muslims directly , by name, with brazen attacks both online and in campaign speeches. (The B.J.P. rejects accusations that it discriminates against Muslims, noting that government welfare programs under its supervision assist all Indians equally.)

Those who have worked in places torn apart by sectarian violence say polarization can be combated only by going to people on the streets and making them understand its dangers. Merely showing up can help.

For Ms. Verma, the seeds of her activism were planted during her childhood, when she listened to horror stories of the sectarian violence that left hundreds of thousands dead during the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947.

Later, as a university philosophy professor, she fought caste discrimination and religious divides both inside and outside the classroom. She opposed patriarchal attitudes even as slurs were thrown at her. In the early 1980s, when she noticed that the names of mothers were excluded from student admission forms, she pressed for their inclusion and won.

But more than anything else, it was the campaign to build a major Hindu temple in the town of Ayodhya in her home state of Uttar Pradesh that gave Ms. Verma’s life a new meaning.

In 1992, a Hindu mob demolished a centuries-old mosque there, claiming that the site had previously held a Hindu temple. Deadly riots followed. This past January, three decades later, the Ayodhya temple opened, inaugurated by Mr. Modi.

It was a significant victory for a Hindu nationalist movement whose maligning and marginalizing of Muslims is exactly what Ms. Verma has devoted herself to opposing.

The Hindu majority, she said, has a responsibility to protect minorities, “not become complicit in their demonization.”

While the government’s incitement of religious enmity is new in India, the sectarian divisions themselves are not. One activist, Vipin Kumar Tripathi, 76, a former physics professor at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi, said he had started gathering students after classes and educating them about the dangers of “religious radicalization” in the early 1990s.

Today, Mr. Tripathi travels to different parts of India with a message of peace.

Recently, he stood in a corner of a busy train station in northeastern New Delhi. As office workers, students and laborers ran toward platforms, he handed information sheets and brochures to anyone who extended a hand.

His materials addressed some of the most provocative issues in India: the troubles in Kashmir, where the Modi government has rescinded the majority-Muslim region’s semi-autonomy ; the politics over the Ayodhya temple; and ordinary citizens’ rights to question their government.

“To respect God and to pretend to do that for votes are two different things,” read one of his handouts.

At the station, Anirudh Saxena, a tall man in his early 30s with a pencil mustache, stopped and looked Mr. Tripathi straight in the eyes.

“Sir, why are you doing this every week?” Mr. Saxena asked.

“Read this,” Mr. Tripathi told Mr. Saxena, handing him a small 10-page booklet. “This explains why we should read books and understand history instead of reading WhatsApp garbage and extracting pleasure out of someone’s pain.”

Mr. Saxena smiled, nodded his head and put the booklet in his handbag before disappearing into the crowd.

If just 10 out of a thousand people read his materials, Mr. Tripathi said, his job is done. “When truth becomes the casualty, you can only fight it on the streets,” he said.

Shabnam Hashmi, 66, another activist based in New Delhi, said she had helped distribute about four million pamphlets in the state of Gujarat after sectarian riots there in 2002. More than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, died in the communal violence, which happened under the watch of Mr. Modi, who was the state’s top leader at the time.

During that period, she and her colleagues were harassed by right-wing activists, who threw stones at her and filed police complaints.

In 2016, months after Mr. Modi became prime minister, the government prohibited foreign funding for her organization. She has continued her street activism nonetheless.

“It is the most effective way of reaching the people directly,” she said. “What it does is, it somehow gives people courage to fight fear and keep resisting.”

“We might not be able to stop this craziness,” she added, “but that doesn’t mean we should stop fighting.”

Even before Mr. Modi’s rise, said Ms. Verma, the activist in Uttar Pradesh, governments never “showered roses” on her when she was doing things like leading marches and bringing together warring factions after flare-ups of religious violence.

Over the decades, she has been threatened with prison and bundled into police vehicles.

“But it was never so bad,” she said, as it has now become under Mr. Modi.

The space for activism may completely vanish, Ms. Verma said, as his party becomes increasingly intolerant of any scrutiny.

For now, she said, activists “are, sadly, just giving proof of our existence: that we may be demoralized, but we are still alive. Otherwise, hatred has seeped so deep it will take decades to rebuild trust.”

Sameer Yasir covers news from India and other countries in the region. He is based in New Delhi. More about Sameer Yasir