Three months ago, I joined ZealGrit Foundation, a grassroots organisation based in Supaul, Bihar. We work on addressing malnutrition in communities whose issues rarely appear in headlines or online. Since then, I have spent more time unlearning than learning. I have discovered that some lessons only come when you sit with the communities, listen and absorb like a sponge, and notice what the books never mention. Here are three lessons I carry with me every day.

यह मेरी पहली नौकरी है। मैंने पहले कभी फील्ड पर काम नहीं किया था। मैं खुद सुपौल की रहने वाली हूं, लेकिन हमारे ही समाज में कितनी सारी परेशानियां हैं, ये पहले कभी न देखा था, न समझा था। तो जाहिर है, जब मैंने इस काम की शुरुआत की, तो मुझे नहीं पता था कि मैं क्या कर पाऊंगी, और क्या नहीं। मैं सिर्फ़ इतना जानती थी कि मुझे कुछ करना है माताओं के लिए, बच्चों के लिए, अपने सुपौल के लिए। शुरुआती दिनों में ही एहसास हुआ कि बदलाव सिर्फ़ सोचने से नहीं, करने से आता है।

A traditional fire, fueled by cow dung, burned steadily in the courtyard; a local ritual believed to protect newborns from infections and the evil eye (nazar). Communities across the country have long practised such customs to protect infants. But this brings us to a deeper, often unspoken question: Who protects the mother? Take Poonam’s household, for example. We met her when she was seven months pregnant with her second child. In the beginning, she remained quiet during our

Remember how our mothers would encourage us as kids, saying, “Mera bahadur baccha jaldi se dawa kha lega! (My brave child will take medicine quickly!)” whenever we refused to take medicine? Their gentle encouragement and warm reassurance made all the difference. Recently, in Triveniganj, I have seen this happen often—but with women, not children. Many women avoid Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets, even though they are crucial during pregnancy and lactation.

मैं बिहार के सुपौल जिले की रहने वाली हूँ। मेरे पिता किसान हैं और मेरी माँ गृहिणी। मेरे दो बड़े भाई हैं, और मैं अपने पिता की इकलौती बेटी हूँ। यह मेरे लिए बहुत गर्व की बात है में अपने परिवार में पहली लड़की हूँ जो जॉब करती है। मेरे परिवार में कई और लड़कियाँ हैं, लेकिन उनमें से कोई नौकरी नहीं करती। हालाँकि, मेरे भाई सब किसी न किसी काम में व्यस्त हैं। मैंने बीएड और बीए की पढ़ाई पूरी की और फिलहाल एमए कर रही हूँ। जब मैंने ZealGrit में वैकेंसी के बारे में सुना, तो मुझे लगा कि मुझे आव

Supaul, where we operate, presents concerning health indicators. According to the National Family Health Survey-5 data (2019-20), over 50% of pregnant women and 60% of children aged 6-59 months are anaemic, while nearly half of all children under five are wasted or underweight. These numbers made it clear that intervention was necessary. But numbers alone never tell the whole story. To really understand the need, we had to get up close. With that in mind, we created our to-do

These sketches reflect a harsh reality that many adolescent girls face, particularly in rural areas. While many of us talk about empowering our daughters, too many are still married off at ages as young as 12 to 18. Society often asks, “What’s the point of educating a girl?” instead of saying, let's educate her and make her self-dependent. We all know this, and yet it is worth reiterating that girls can achieve incredible things when given the right opportunities.

What came first—the chicken or the egg? It feels like one of those never-ending debates. The same can be applied to malnutrition. Malnutrition is the cause or outcome of poor health. It's challenging to pin down because malnutrition forms a vicious cycle, constantly feeding into itself. Let us understand this with Radha's story (name changed). Radha is a 16-year-old mother of a three-month-old baby. She had lost her first child during delivery barely a year ago when she was n

When we hear the word "breastfeeding," we often picture a mother feeding her baby with a smile on her face. But doesn’t this picture seem incomplete? How about a mother nursing her baby while the father prepares food for her, both sharing a smile? How beautiful would that be! A family picture of mutual support.

“God could not be everywhere, so he made mothers” deeply resonates with our story today. Every heartbeat carries stories of love, strength, and resilience. A mother sacrifices everything for her child, experiencing every step of pregnancy over nine months. However, for rural mothers from the Dalit communities in Bihar, these sacrifices are compounded by significant challenges. Recently, I met Sita Devi (name changed), 30, pregnant with her fourth child.

Weight loss wasn’t a random decision but a choice that I made after enduring all those years of hurtful judgements and bullying. The people’s unkind statements and indifferent looks pushed me to focus on my inner strength and become a new person. I reflect and realise that life is an intricate web of moments, hardships, and victories, where each thread carries an individual story. One such story is my weight-loss journey.

This weekend, I watched Laapataa Ladies, a Bollywood comedy-drama. The film delves into the struggles of two women trapped by life circumstances dictated by the veil. It is a heart-warming story of women who didn't give up on life. One of them, Phool, decided that if she finds her way back home, she doesn't want to just remain dependent on someone else – she wants to be the one earning her livelihood. 

Nearly one in two children in India faces the unsettling shadow of sexual abuse before reaching the age of 18, predominantly at the hands of their family members or individuals known to them. It's an alarming truth that thrusts the urgent need for adolescents to grasp the distinctions between good and bad touch and comprehend the significance of consent and bodily autonomy. My journey during a rural internship with ZealGrit in Supaul, Bihar, unearthed a stark reality at a gov

In India, a poignant reality unfolds for adolescent girls, revealing a significant lack of understanding and support for their reproductive and sexual health. My recent visit to a government high school brought this starkly to light, exposing the silent battles of teenage girls, struggles that linger unnoticed and unattended. Questions like: “How often should I change sanitary napkins?”How can I handle debilitating period pain that keeps me out of school for days?”

I was born in a small village in Rajasthan, India, where drought, food shortages, and hunger were all too familiar. For seven long years, our village faced drought, teaching me how vital food and nutrition are for everyone's growth and well-being. These experiences shaped my education and career choices.