The 10-day long Bali Jatra is considered an integral part of the socio-cultural identity of the eastern state. It also provides an opportunity to the artisans of the state to promote their traditional crafts.

Today is MahaShivratri, the most auspicious festival of my homeland, Jammu & Kashmir. My mother, a Lord Shiva devotee, has regaled us with many stories of Bhole Nath. Her stories of Shiva taught me how our festivals are always closely linked with nature. Even our gods and goddesses were found in nature.

There are some memories that will never go away. Here is one of mine — of climbing up 13 kilometres to the Vaishno Devi shrine. And eating hot, sticky and crisp jalebis on Dussehra.

Between 2019-20 and 2021-22, at least 1,578 people have died of elephant attacks in the country. Odisha tops the list followed by Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam. On July 23, a 32-year-old forest guard got killed in the crossfire between stone pelting villagers and an enraged tusker in Khunti, Jharkhand.

The study found that every participant working in the salt pans had either a heavy or moderate workload, and an alarmingly close to 90 per cent of workers were found to be working above the recommended limits of heat exposure.

Hilly terrain, hard to extract groundwater and failed schemes make life miserable for the 3,000 odd villagers of Lahuria Deh village in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh. Each of them gets just 15 litres of water a day to drink, cook and wash. Women suffer the most. A ground report as part of Gaon Connection's Paani Yatra.

Whether it's the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi, or the monuments devoted to political leaders in Lucknow, it is hard to ignore Mirzapur's contribution to the coveted pink sandstone. But the real cost is borne by the district's villagers who suffer diseases including tuberculosis, due to stone mining that has turned the region into a toxic dust bowl. A ground report.

With an aim to construct 50,000 ponds for conserving water by August 15, 2023, Mission Amrit Sarovar not only seeks to boost water security in the country but millions of rural residents are also finding a livelihood opportunity in the construction of these ponds. Uttar Pradesh has a target of constructing 11,638 such ponds. Read on to know more.

From cattle dying after drinking water from the polluted river to an increased incidence of diseases, the daily lives of almost 5,000 rural residents are impacted by the dumping of industrial effluents from Varanasi's agro-park. A ground report.