Time flies. 2014 too flew away! But it was a kind year. It gave me opportunities to tell the stories that I CARED FOR. And it also got me the greatest of recognitions! Shared here are some of those moments and some of the stories that I told.
January: Telling the story of the forest women
The first month of 2014 took me to the Eastern Ghat mountains of India, to villages that are home to several primitive tribes including the Koyas and the Kondas whose livelihood depends on hunting and gathering herbs.
Here, in the dense forest, I met women who are turning entrepreneurs, using renewable energy. They use solar powered driers to dry their herbs and are selling the herbs to a clientele that includes large corporate houses! Here is one of their stories.
10 years have passed since the devastating Tsunami happened. How
have things changed on the ground since then, especially for those who
bore the brunt of that disaster? In this second part of my photo blog, I am sharing few photographs of women in the coastal villages that I met.
The most optimistic picture that I saw was this...
I met this woman - Shivapiriya - near the famous shore temple of Mahabalipuram. She was there with her sister, speaking to a relative on a cell phone. 10 years ago, she didn't have a cell. But today, if disaster strikes, Kavitha is confident that she can reach out someone- anyone -and call for help, no matter wherever she is. No technology alone cannot guarantee safety, not of the climatic kind, but it can sure decrease the level of helplessness, especially for a woman.
And the most depressing picture was this...
It's been 10 years since the devastating Asian Tsunami happened. How have things changed on the ground since then, especially for those who bore the brunt of that disaster? To find the answer, I recently visited some villages along the east coast of India. Shared here are few glimpses of life I saw there.
And now there's another shrine - The Tsunami Temple
The Tsunami in 2004 took a lot - lives, homes and assets included - but also gave something. This structure, for example, emerged out of the sea next to the famous shore temple of Mahabalipuram and quickly gained popularity as the Tsunami Temple. Natarajan, a tourist guide told me, 'this is our latest attraction' and then, "but you can't go there. It's too slippery". Now, that's a fitting gift of a disaster!
"Tourism matters, tourists matter, we don't"
Prabhakar Sharma sells souvenirs on the beach. After the Tsunami in 2004, the government was quick to restore the Shore Temple of Mahabalipuram, he said. But, for the owners of over 100 makeshift shops that were also destroyed by the tsunami, there hasn't been any compensation. A bitter Sharma told me this : "The govt invested well into restoring the temple and the facilities for the tourists. But we, the beach traders who sustain the tourists interests, were left to lick our own wounds. We just didn't matter"
A new trail of disasters
There is an alarming rate of erosion along the coast and every village has at least half a dozen houses that are in various stages of destruction.
The first month of 2014 took me to the Eastern Ghat mountains of India, to villages that are home to several primitive tribes including the Koyas and the Kondas whose livelihood depends on hunting and gathering herbs. 
Here, in the dense forest, I met women who are turning entrepreneurs, using renewable energy. They use solar powered driers to dry their herbs and are selling the herbs to a clientele that includes large corporate houses! Here is one of their stories. 
