भारत भर की चल रही कहानियाँ
The Origin Soap — from a Kerala village to global markets
“How does a Gulf returnee with no capital turn a village soap unit into a globally certified export brand?”
Balakrishnan left Qatar with no job and no plan. He came home to Cherukulathoor, Kozhikode, and bet everything on a small soap-making unit. Today it exports handmade Ayurvedic soaps to Italy, UAE and beyond.
The Unbroken Thread: Fayad Ahmed Mir and Kashmir's Handloom Heritage
“When a craft is passed through generations by nothing more than presence and practice — no school, no manual — what holds the thread together, and what threatens to cut it?”
In Srinagar, Fayad Ahmed Mir weaves what his family has always woven — Kashmiri handloom passed from generation to generation, never interrupted, never forgotten.
The Loom That Has Never Stopped: Firoz Ahmed and the Kota Doria Tradition
“What does it mean to carry a craft tradition not because you chose it, but because it was already yours — and what keeps a weaver at the loom when the economics are difficult?”
In Firoz Ahmed's family, the handloom has passed from generation to generation without interruption. The Kota Doria — Rajasthan's famous check-woven saree — is both his livelihood and his inheritance.
More Demand Than He Can Meet: John Paleng's Tribal Jewellery from Siang
“When a craft holds the visual identity of an entire people, and demand from the world far exceeds what one artisan can make — what is the responsibility of the maker?”
John Paleng of Siang, Arunachal Pradesh makes jewellery that carries the visual identity of multiple tribes. After 15 years, his problem is not finding buyers — it is making enough pieces to reach them all.
From Mother's Loom to Private Company: Iaishah Rymbai's Eri Silk Journey in Ri Bhoi
“What happens when a skill learned at a mother's side becomes a registered company — and what does it take to keep the craft entirely within the family and entirely within the land?”
Iaishah Rymbai learned to weave from her mother, formalised it as a business in 2019, and now runs a private company with her children — raising eri worms, spinning thread, and colouring fabric with organic dye.
The Patterns Were Disappearing. Vianney Nongrum Decided to Weave Them Back.
“When the weaving patterns of an entire sub-tribe start to vanish, who decides to bring them back — and can a single brand in Ri Bhoi carry that weight?”
Eleven years of eri silk in Ri Bhoi, and TYNGKAI's deepest work is not the jainsem — it is the revival of the weaving patterns belonging to Ri Bhoi's forgotten sub-tribes.
She Learned Block Printing in Jaipur. She Brought It Back to the Northeast and Made It Her Own.
“What does it look like to import a craft tradition and remake it entirely with local identity — and to do it alone in a region where no one else has tried?”
Anisha Hussain of Kamrup is doing something no one else is: handblock printing on local Northeast motifs and fabrics. Four years in, her factory trains artisans and her designs travel across India.
The Vendor Who Introduced Handicraft to Shillong — and His Son Who Carries It On
“Can a 34-year handloom legacy in the heart of Shillong prove that sustainable craft outlasts every trend?”
Megha Emporium has stood at the heart of Shillong's handloom market for 40 years. Now Ujjwal Agarwal runs it — 34 years in, building on his father's foundation, teaching his daughters what it means to make something lasting.
She Makes Each Piece by Hand. Now She Wants the World to Recognise It.
“Will Sulagna Sarkar be able to balance her studies and grow her handcrafted jewellery brand into something the world recognises as entirely, unmistakably hers?”
Sulagna Sarkar, a college student from Madhyamgram, West Bengal, is building sudh.co.in — a handcrafted jewellery brand rooted in terracotta, oxidised silver, and quiet determination.
From Boardroom to Playroom: How One Mother Built a Learning World Around Play
“What challenges does The Kids Company face and how are they navigating them?”
This is the beginning of Swadesi's journey with The Kids Company® — a venture born from one mother's belief that play is the highest form of education, now reaching children across the world. We will follow its founder as she navigates the next chapter of growth, with her first 'student' leaving for university and a global community of young learners still at the heart of everything she builds. There is much more of this story still to unfold.
HIOX Cloud Introduces Cost-Efficient Infrastructure Platform Designed to Reduce Cloud Hosting Expenses for Businesses
“What challenges does HIOX Guides face and how are they navigating them?”
HIOX Cloud Introduces Cost-Efficient Infrastructure Platform Designed to Reduce Cloud Hosting Expenses for Businesses
Ledgers and Lifelines: How My Law Suvidha Is Helping Patna's Small Traders Make Peace with GST
“What challenges does Sudhakar Kumar face and how are they navigating them?”
This is the beginning of Swadesi's ongoing watch on My Law Suvidha's work in Patna's markets — a story about what happens when professional legal support reaches the traders who need it most but are least likely to seek it out. In the weeks ahead, we will follow individual shop owners as they navigate compliance, track whether the guidance translates into real relief, and ask what it would take to bring this model to markets beyond Bihar.
The Shape of Steel: Inside the World of Stainless Steel Square Bars
“What challenges does Vishesh Sharma face and how are they navigating them?”
This is the beginning of Swadesi's coverage of India's industrial materials sector — the raw inputs that quietly power the country's manufacturing and infrastructure growth. We will continue to follow the stories of the workers, craftspeople, and engineers whose hands shape these materials into the built world around us.
महाखानः मध्य प्रदेश के चंदेरी रेशम बुनकर
“Can Chanderi silk weaving survive as a family livelihood in the age of machine-made textiles, or will this 600-year-old craft die with the last generation of handloom weavers?”
मध्य प्रदेश के कासापुर के एक कुशल चंदेरी रेशम बुनकर महाखान ने पीढ़ियों तक फैली एक पारिवारिक परंपरा को आगे बढ़ाया है - असाधारण कौशल के साथ हाथ से बुनी हुई साड़ी बनाना । उत्कृष्ट रूप से डिज़ाइन किए गए कपड़ों के उत्पादन के बावजूद उन्हें स्थानीय बिचौलियों के माध्यम से सीमित बाजार पहुंच और अनुचित मुआवजे का सामना करना पड़ता है । उनकी कहानी भारत के अंतिम पारंपरिक बुनकरों के सामने कलात्मकता और आर्थिक अनिश्चितता दोनों को रोशन करती है ।
एक चपट्टी और एक दृढ़ संकल्पः रमेश कसोंद्रा और ग्राम विकास ट्रस्ट
“When a man who survived on one chapatti a day devotes his entire professional life to ending poverty — what does it cost him, and how does a grassroots trust outlast its founder?”
गुजरात में सूखे और गरीबी में जन्मे रमेश कसोंद्रा एक सिविल इंजीनियर बन गए और फिर ग्राम विकास ट्रस्ट के निर्माण के लिए अपना करियर छोड़ दिया - 25 साल उस समुदाय की सेवा करना जो कभी मुश्किल से उनका पोषण करता था ।
थंगकुल मार्ग को थ्रेडिंगः परिंगला वाशुम और बैकस्ट्रैप लूम
“Will machine-made textiles kill the 400-year-old Thangkul backstrap loom tradition, or can a new generation of buyers learn to value what their hands cannot make?”
22 से अधिक वर्षों से आर परिंगला वाशुम ने बैकस्ट्रैप करघ पर थंगकुल नागा शॉल बुनी हैं, लेकिन बाजार को समझ में नहीं आता कि वे जो करते हैं उसकी कीमत क्यों है ।
अंधेरे में एक सालः हरिप्यारे नाओरेम और किण्वित बांस शूट
“Can Uyokching Food Processing scale its year-fermented bamboo shoots into a national food brand, or will the logistics of landlocked Manipur keep this tradition local forever?”
हरिप्यारे नाओरेम पूरे एक साल के लिए बांस की अंकुरों को किण्वित करता है ताकि बिना किसी समतुल्य उत्पाद का उत्पादन किया जा सके, लेकिन मणिपुर का भूमि से घिरा भूगोल हर किलो को स्थानांतरित करना महंगा बना देता है ।
हर बुनाई एक विरासत हैः लखीमपुर की मंजुरेखा पायेंगे
“In a state that loves its handloom, can Manjurekha Payenge break through the border of Assam and carry her Tatkal-woven Mekhela Chador to the rest of India?”
मंजुरेखा पायेंगे ने अपनी माँ से घर पर तत्काल बुनाई सीखी अब वह असम के हथकरघा को भारत के हर कोने तक ले जाना चाहती हैं ।
द कस्टोडियन ऑफ बातः जितेन बोरा एंड द केन क्राफ्ट ऑफ असम
“In an era when sustainable and natural products are a global trend, why does a cane craftsman in Assam with 10 years of skill still lack a platform to reach the buyers who would pay for his work?”
जितेन बोरा असम के एक दस वर्षीय बेंत कारीगर हैं जो 100% प्राकृतिक थैले बनाते हैं लेकिन बिना किसी मंच के उनका काम उन खरीदारों के लिए अदृश्य रहता है जिन्हें इसकी सबसे अधिक आवश्यकता होती है ।
वन के पत्ते से फूल तकः शिलांग के विजय विश्व
“Vijay Biswa has mastered the craft and the teaching — can he now master the market, and turn his dry flower roses into a livelihood that reaches buyers across India?”
विजय विश्व शिलांग में मकई और ताड़ के पत्तों से गुलाब की मूर्तियाँ बनाते हैं - 18 साल की स्व - सिखाई गई शिल्प - शिक्षण के लिए एक उपहार और एक ईमानदार समस्याः विपणन ।