Lavender crop brings 20 times more profit than, say, maize. This was discovered by a lady doctor who went on to taste success in farming and also be a change-maker in Kashmir, says Sana Altaf
Sudden shocks of climate change rarely affect the farm of Sudha Gunwant in Almora. Taking Anuradha Sahni around the farm, a hub of biodiversity, she explains how she overcame the challenge
Suresh Poojari started as a general help in a small eatery on a monthly salary of Rs.4 at age 10. Now he owns a popular restaurant chain, a shopping mall and a 3-star hotel, says Quaid Najmi
Attibele Gram Panchayat, 40 km from Bengaluru, is witnessing another development like the IT city. Its women have been making a splash as popular panchayat leaders, reports Pushpa Achanta
In militancy infected Kashmir, life is not easy for women. But some women grassroots leaders are making life easy for others. Ashutosh Sharma meets two of them, Zaitoon Begum and Vimla Devi
In a Himalayan achievement, three women from the Northeast reached the peak of their mountaineering career. Ninglun Hangal tells us the stories of Anshu Jamsenpa, Bidyapati Ningthoujam and Wansuk Myrthong, who were on top of Everest recently
The humble neem, which is part of Indian household remedies, is now being harnessed to fight cancer. Researchers in Kolkata are on the job and human trials could come next, says Sahana Ghosh
By launching a portal, Travelkhana.com, in October, 2012, Pushpinder Singh has helped over 50,000 rail travelers have palatable food during the journey. Akash Bisht explains how food from popular eateries get delivered at various stations
Kultikiri village in West Bengal has been electing only women to its panchayat for the past 20 years though the seats are not reserved. Saadia Azim finds out why women rule the roost here
The clocks of Sunil Saxena grew in size as his mother’s eye sight failed. His wish to make her read time without strain has led to the clock with a diameter of 72 inches, says Brij Khandelwal
As India votes, The Weekend Leader’s Friends of Positive Journalism Forum gets a new team of office bearers with outgoing Chairman P Saravanaraja handing over the baton to Madan A Sendhil
Photographer Media Ramu captures some of the memorable moments from The Weekend Leader – VIT Chennai Person of the Year Award Function held at VIT Chennai. The Award went to Balasaheb Darade
A first year engineering student, Aditya Bali, used 6500 waste tetra packs, and loads of sawdust for building couple of sound proof rooms at the St. Mary’s School, Dwarka, says Deeksha Bhatia
Fossilised dinosaur bones and eggs of gigantic creatures that measured around 18-20 metres and weighed 10-13 tonnes have been discovered in Salbardi area near Amravati in eastern Maharashtra
Fashion designer Jaskeerat Bedi is participating in one of the world’s toughest mountain biking events, not to win any title but to spread awareness about breast cancer, says Vishal Gulati
A 15-minute boat ride through the Poovar River took Sanu George to a resort where there were a row of floating cottages and a floating restaurant. The place is 20 km from Thiruvananthapuram
A drone built by a computer science student in Kolkata is capable of camera surveillance, weather forecasting, and even attack and defence, but the DRDO is not responding, says Sahana Ghosh
The unanimous decision of the UPA government and the Congress Working Committee to grant statehood to Telangana sets right a historic blunder committed by Nehru 57 years ago, says Sam Rajappa
Rayna Srivastava, a 16-year-old high school student from Texas, USA, spent her summer vacation teaching English at a girls’ home in Mumbai, even skipping a trip to Brazil, says Krishnaraj Rao
Forty sightless people, who are themselves waging a grim battle for survival, have formed an association in West Bengal to extend help to those less fortunate than them, says Ritwik Bagchi
Entire India will soon come under the cover of Arogya Finance that lends money for the poor to go for medical treatment. Supported by social venture funds, Arogya is in nine States and has helped over 400 persons, says Kavita Kanan Chandra
‘Rickshaw Bank’ is a project that helps rickshaw pullers. It was born out of a conversation Pradip Kumar Sarmah, a veterinarian, who had taken animal health care to rural areas in Assam, had with a rickshaw puller, says Souzeina S Mushtaq
Namakkal in Tamil Nadu is known for poultry, among other things. But not many know of a poultry owner generating electricity from chicken droppings, whose disposal was once a headache. P C Vinoj Kumar explains the innovation and the business
His was a career dedicated to fight graft, through unconventional methods. Now the former cop is advisor to the anti-corruption cell of Aam Aadmi Party. Souzeina S Mushtaq profiles N Dilip Kumar, called as ‘action hero’ by a news magazine
The return of Sabbah Haji and her family to their hometown in Kashmir’s Doda district has helped local children as the school started in 2009 is still growing. Afsana Rashid finds the school running with the help of volunteers from outside
Joby Mathew stands 3 feet, 5 inches tall. But he has beaten men taller than him in arm wrestling and won even the world championship. Kavita Kanan Chandra finds that hard work, discipline and determination are the secrets behind his success
A group of social workers in the temple town of Kanchipuram meet every week to chart their down to earth projects. All of them teetotalers, not by scheme, they work at the grassroots level but seek no external aid. P C Vinoj Kumar meets them
Besides being a cosmopolitan city, which is a bustling IT hub, also known for fine weather, Bangalore has more for a visitor, says Sudha Narasimhachar, giving a list of 15 must visit places
In the chilly heights of Ladakh, Thinlas Chorol stands out as a social entrepreneur, trekking guide, ice hockey player and a writer rolled into one. Her remarkable role is changing the face of tourism up there, says Kavita Kanan Chandra
Fetching water takes such considerable time for rural women that they expend most of their time and energy on that. But ‘Water Wheel’, a recent innovation, is ushering a change in the lives of women in some villages, says Souzeina S Mushtaq
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