On the road with India's nomadic pastoralists

In Bihar’s Bhojpur district, Radha Devi recalls a time when sheep herds were large in number, wool plentiful, and weaving blankets an important livelihood

In Vidarbha, the ever-migrating Rabari pastoralists are replacing camels with bullocks in their caravans. Detentions, policy confusion and shrinking grazing access are responsible for the shift

A day with a Gujjar goat-herder in the Haryana Aravallis traces an ancient relationship between people, livestock and forests, now under strain from urbanisation and ecological change

A photo story depicting the vibrant atmosphere of celebration and faith at the annual Vitthal Birdev Yatra, where many from the Dhangar and Kuruba pastoralist communities gather every year around October

Himalayan pastoralists find they cannot access state welfare schemes, forest rights and even ration cards that they are entitled to. Some like Abdul Rashid Sheikh and Nazir Ahmed Dinda have become RTI activists in an attempt to seek accountability from the state

With temperatures climbing in Ladakh, yak herders in the Zanskar valley are finding it difficult and unprofitable to maintain their herd

Since the 2019 bifurcation of the state, children of nomadic pastoralists who migrate out of Jammu and Kashmir to Ladakh (now two separate union territories), are ignored by the schooling system which is caught up in border red tape. A story for Children's Day

It takes over 300 feet of cotton thread and 60 hours of knitting to make a traditional jali, a sling bag used by Dhangar shepherds. The art of handmaking this symmetrical bag now rests with only a few pastoralists like Siddu Gavade in Karnataka

In the summer of 2023, as Jammu heated up, pastoralists readied to move up into the higher Himalayas. But unusually cold weather in those grazing grounds held them back. While waiting, many lost livestock to unseasonal, heavy rains enroute

When pastoral families migrate to the upper Himalayas, they take their young children with them. Travelling teachers like Ali Mohammed follow and ensure that the primary schoolers stay up-to-date and in class. A story in time for Teacher's Day, coming up

Young people from the Bakarwal nomadic community are moving away from pastoral futures towards higher education in the hope of finding jobs and settled homes

A film on the Van Gujjar community and their challenges in the hills and forests of Uttarakhand

Women in the Raika pastoral community play a big role in the care of animals, and also do other work

Every year the community ascends to the higher Himalayas in Kashmir in search of grazing grounds. Ongoing fencing of pastures by the military and for tourism, along with a continuing lack of access to basic facilities, is putting their way of life under threat

In this film where camels swim in the Gulf of Kachchh, herders from the Fakirani Jat and Bhopa Rabari communities of Gujarat narrate the difficulties in keeping their seafaring livestock alive

State policies’ dismissal of traditional knowledge of the pastoralist communities endangers the lives of Kharai camels and their herders in and around the Marine National Park and Sanctuary in Jamnagar, Gujarat

In this region of the Himalayas, shepherds brave the wet and cold weather to graze their sheep and goats. They also protect them from wild animals on the Gangotri range where they live for up to nine months a year

Donkey herders from the Kaikadi community who migrate to work at brick kilns in Sangli district, struggle to look after their livestock. An increase in theft of the animals in Maharashtra has made it harder on them

Maharashtra police detained five traditional herders from Kachchh on January 7 suspecting these semi-nomadic pastoralists were smuggling camels to slaughterhouses in Hyderabad. Also detained: 58 camels

When a litre of Halari donkey’s milk sold for Rs. 7,000 in Gujarat, it triggered speculation over this declining breed’s commercial potential. PARI explores the hard realities of the species and its breeders

The documentary featured here records voices of Ladakh's pastoral communities. It speaks of how, in harsh conditions, herders try to protect their livestock from wolves, and the changes in this traditional approach

For this group of nomadic pastoralist Dhangar families in Maharashtra, the lockdown brought a drop in sales of sheep, restricted access to village grounds, and depleted rations – but they have tried to move on

What happens if you are nomadic pastoralists with huge herds of animals far away from home when the Covid-19 lockdown was enforced? The Fakirani Jats of Gujarat’s Kachchh district tell their story

The Nanda Gaolis and other dairy farmers in eastern Maharashtra are facing losses from the drop in demand for milk and broken supply chains, besides grappling with animal health problems and fodder shortages

With the COVID-19 driven lockdown, Chenakonda Balasami and other pastoralists in Telangana, on the road for months, are finding it difficult to access food and new grazing grounds – or return to their villages

The migrations of the maldharis of Kachchh, Gujarat, are linked to the search for grazing grounds and water

For long, the pastoralist Kurubas of Karnataka have journeyed for months to graze their hardy Deccani sheep. But with declining demand for their animals' manure and wool, many are seeking other sources of income

Pastoralists from Kachchh walk great distances in search of grazing lands for their sheep in Gujarat, even as pastures disappear or become inaccessible, and climate patterns get ever more erratic

In the high mountains of the eastern Himalayas in Arunachal Pradesh, the nomadic Brokpa community is recognising climate change and devising coping strategies based on traditional knowledge

Nomadic Changpa pastoralists at the high grazing grounds of Ladakh find their yak-related economy in a crisis that is driven by major climatic shifts in their fragile mountainous ecosystems

From Changthangi goats in the Tibetan Plateau to retail stores in Srinagar, the making of the pashmina shawl involves many – pastoralists, wholesalers, spinners, dyers, designers, embroiderers and entrepreneurs

On March 8, International Women’s Day, a PARI photo essay on the remarkable women of three nomadic pastoralist communities – the Changpa of Ladakh, the Brokpa of Arunachal, and the Fakrani Jats in Kachchh

The magnificent Kharai camels get vital elements of their diet from marine mangroves on islands – and get there by swimming – yes swimming! – several kilometres off the coast of Kachchh (or Kutch) in Gujarat

For long, the Raikas of Rajasthan have told stories to pass the time on their journeys. But this tradition, along with their pasturelands, is shrinking. In the video featured here, Fuyaram Raika narrates a cautionary tale

The Brokpa of West Kameng and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh are reclusive herders who migrate in fixed seasonal patterns at high altitudes. A photo story depicting their daily rhythms

Jat Ayub Ameen, a Fakirani Jat, is distinctive even among the remarkable 'maldhari' or nomadic pastoralists – who are worried about the growing scarcities in Kachchh district of Gujarat. A PARI photo story

The nomadic Changpas communities of Hanle Valley in Ladakh herd pashmina goats, live in high-altitude pasturelands, and even retain old barter systems – but their ways of life are changing

This camel-herding community of Rajasthan faces restrictive grazing laws, social hostility and falling incomes