Rising temperatures and shrinking water bodies across this region are putting pressure on pastoralists in Jharkhand – among the country’s most climate vulnerable states. At one time the village cheered their arrival, but now their presence goes unnoticed
The clang of hand-forged bells sported by cattle has faded, but bell makers like Raghuveer Vishwakarma keep the traditional craft alive, while tending to modest fields to make ends meet
One of the last remaining artisans of bamboo cowbells in Shibaje village, in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, explains the intricate nature of the craft in this video
Vishalram Markam’s beloved buffaloes venture on their own to graze in the dense forests of Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district. They return to him by evening, but the danger from hungry predators is always lurking
Unable to recover production costs due to the private sector's control over milk prices, dairy farmers like Arun Jadhav in western Maharashtra are selling their livestock and scaling down
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
April 22, 2020 | Jaideep Hardikar and Chetana Borkar
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
In north-central Delhi's cargo hubs, some of the bailgadi owners who have for long ferried goods for transporters are seeking better wages elsewhere, while others say it's their tradition and only work option
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
Drought across rural Maharashtra has forced many families into cattle camps. At a camp in Mhaswad, Satara district, Sarika and Anil Sawant speak of their growing struggle with their milk and poultry business
Vithoba Yadav was willing to sell his goat for less than half its market price, but the drought and severe shortage of water and fodder means few buyers at the market in Mhaswad town of Satara district
Lakshmi Kalel has moved to a cattle camp in Satara district with her two buffaloes, a cow and a bull, leaving her family in the village, but forging new bonds with others trying to cope with the harsh drought
An early drought in Satara and other districts of Maharashtra has dried up farm work and cattle feed, forcing people to take their animals to a cattle camp – where women are shouldering the bulk of the crisis
In villages near the Amrabad Tiger Reserve in Telangana, the indigenous Poda Thurupu cattle are a source of sustenance for breeder communities and farmers, and efforts are on to conserve the species
Though Shankar Atram, a terrified cattle herder in Yavatmal, fashioned a near-comical flimsy ‘body armour' against the recently-killed T1, for him and other villagers the problem could now be more displaced tigers
For the people living on Chalakura island on the Brahmaputra in Assam, dairy farming is the only sustainable livelihood – but a withdrawal of state-subsidised cattle feed has increased the uncertainty of their lives
N. Swamy Bassavanna, a farmer from Mangala village, says in this sixth in a series of six photo essays on life in a forest, ‘Everyone should be involved in farming and understand the challenges we face’
Indra Kumar, who works in Mangala village near Bandipur National Park, records cattle herders, leopard attacks, folk art performers and the harvest in this fifth photo essay in a series of six on PARI
K.N. Mahesha, a naturalist and cultivator who lives close to Bandipur National Park, brings images of fighting bulls, sensitive cows, work elephants and raptors, in this fourth photo essay in a series of six on PARI
Many cattle camps in Maharashtra that offered desperately-needed shelters, water and fodder during the drought have shut down with the monsoon. But Beed is yet to receive good rains and the camp at Palvan is still open
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
Across Marathwada, in 45 degrees heat, farmers already trapped in the agrarian crisis are walking many kilometres from market to market, trying desperately to sell their cattle to raise some money – a task made nearly impossible by the beef ban
It has taken decades of struggle for the Tirmali Nandiwale, a nomadic tribe of performing artists, to find a permanent home in Kanadi Budruk village in Beed district of Maharashtra, and to get basic facilities
During the 'go-bnadna' festival – a time of earth colours, wall painting, music and games – the Santals of Purulia district in West Bengal offer thanks to their cows
The unique Kangayam cattle of Tamil Nadu are in decline – we meet a rare bull of this species during the Pongal festival in January
In Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district, buffaloes swim across the local river every day during the summer, seeking fresh pastures
An emphasis on high-maintenance crossbreeds in Thrissur has brought a sharp decline in hardy domestic animals
Native breeds were ruined not by people but by official policies over a long time
The bullock cart races at Delanwadi in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district are held in a carnival-like atmosphere. But, as this author learned, dangers lurk on the track. And not just for the bullocks
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PARI - People's Archive of Rural India
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