Longreads

After being hit by COVID-19 crisis, fishing season offers hope to Senegal's women

In the small community of Bargny, women support their families by drying, smoking, salting and fermenting the catch brought home by male villagers.

On World Earth Day, Indian artists reflect on their relationship with trees and use of art to bring attention to natural world

By drawing attention to trees and individualising them, environmental art works to combat plant blindness and offers an outlet for eco-anxiety.

Bangladesh celebrates 50 years of independence: Tracing East Pakistan's nationalist movement, in pictures

For years, hostilities and strikes dominated East Pakistan as calls for independence grew louder.

In photos: The story of Nepal's first, and now nearly forgotten, hydropower project

This was only 30 years after the installation of the world’s first hydropower plant on Fox river of Appleton, Wisconsin, in 1882, and a year before China built its first hydropower plant in 1912 in Yunnan province.

Bhutan's hydropower exports flourish during lockdown, but for rural communities it's a mixed blessing

For many rural communities, having hydropower stations nearby is a mixed blessing. Houses in these areas have developed cracks that often reappear even if they are fixed. Much of the damage remains unrepaired.

Court and Courtship: JP Losty on four miniature paintings from the TAPI Collection, featured in his new book

The 90 paintings in the TAPI collection span 16th century portraits of emperors, courtiers, animals, and more, and courtly pictures from the Deccan, Rajasthan, and Central India; 17th century representations of classic texts like the Gita Govinda, Harivamsha, and Rasikapriya; and 18th and 19th century paintings of ladies in resplendent textiles and costumes.

Nomadic nature of Pakistan's Bakarwals in danger, as community faces weather, administrative issues

For centuries, Bakarwals have centred their lives around rearing sheep and goats (bakra in Urdu) and even today accompany their herds across mountains and meadows.

In Diwik Singh Chhalani's quest to restore old radios, a coming together of nostalgia and sustainable methods

'Diwiks' are revived versions of old radios which individuals and families have held on to for decades, mainly for sentimental reasons. They feature sustainably reclaimed wood and a modern two-channel sound system.

A Jharkhand town powers India's nuclear dreams, at the cost of its residents' health, the environment

The people of Jaduguda note that displacement and deforestation for uranium mining robbed them of their land and livelihood, and later cursed them with health impacts.

Anwar Chitrakar, a folk artist from Bengal, captures vignettes of locked down lives through traditional art

Anwar Chitrakar talks about his latest online lockdown-inspired exhibition 'Tales of our Times', and his personal journey with the folk art tradition.