-Newsclick.in The Nishad community says their people are no more awarded with fishing and sand mining contracts, which is posing a major threat to their traditional livelihood. Sonbhadra: On April 3, 2020, when the nationwide lockdown was in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Anil Kumar Sahni, 26, had stepped out with his cycle cart to sell vegetables. As he reached the road passing through his hamlet, he was caught by...

-CaravanMagazine.in “The Thakurs in the village threatened me and said, ‘We will beat you so much you will go bald,’” a middle-aged Nishad resident of the Peshawa Mai Ghat village in the Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh, told us. The Nishads are a riverine community who were categorised as a Scheduled Caste in the state in 2019. On 30 May, the Nishad man’s minor daughter was found raped and murdered a...

-The Hindu Allahabad: Almost two months have passed since the largest human gathering, the Maha Kumbh Mela, concluded here, registering a mammoth 100 million devotees over 55 days. Huge banners and hoardings welcomed visitors to an eco-friendly, ‘Green Kumbh,' spread this time over an extensive 4,000 acres. While the Uttar Pradesh government receives accolades for its management of the mega event - most recently through a presentation invite by Harvard University...

All social communities have a history that is experienced, or perceived, or both. Communities survive and sustain themselves on these histories. When political forces try to mobilise these communities, they usually do so by exploring their history and then giving it a political meaning that suits their agenda. In the beginning, when the political party is new, it gives space and respect to the small histories of each community that...