I am truly surprised at the film that is on everyone’s mind right now and the fact that it happened to be shot just 30 minutes away from my home in Mumbai, India. Slumdog Millionaire is an energetic film with an interesting storyline and was shot entirely in two locations...
Many people today who work in social change are convinced that the typical ‘top down’ approach to development, where bureaucrats and international agencies design large-scale social programs and then impose them on millions of poor people, isn’t working. Instead, they favor the idea of ‘community-led development’, in which communities themselves...
This week, I’ve given a lot of thought to how poor communities on the other side of the digital divide are able to connect. The Internet is now only accessible for a tiny portion of humanity. Probably less than 20% of humanity has regular internet access, and in rural India,...
Ruchika writes: Festivals in India are one of a kind!... ...especially if you can find a balance between fun and physical space to enjoy the celebrations!
When we and our NGO partners initiate community members–young men and women from the slums and villages of India–into their new full-time jobs as ‘Community Video Producers,’ we often start the training sessions by drawing a triangle on the board. ‘This pyramid,’ the Video Trainer says, ‘represents the global media.’...
It is only a week or so since Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, and, in reading the Indian press that expresses such fear of greater instability in their neighboring enemy country, one tends to forget the incredible bonds that hold India and Pakistan together. Stalin and I saw these strong ties...
Community Producer Neeru was featured on October 21st on Nickelodeon, in a special about Dalit kids. Read about it here. Neeru, shown here filling out a feedback form at a screening of a community video unit, is one of the all-Dalit community Producers working at Navsarjan’s CVU. Written by Jessica...
