Written by Alex Sam ThomasEdited by Sofia Juliet Rajan When the email about the foresight workshop landed in my inbox, I was pleasantly surprised. I had just joined the CLAPs project last year, taking over from my friend and colleague Kabir, who had left Gram Vikas...
Written by Shilpa Shirish Edited by Sofia Juliet Rajan On a hot, sultry July afternoon last year, I visited Vathuruthy, a Tamil-majority migrant settlement in Kochi. Situated in a low-lying area near a nala (a drainage canal), Vathuruthy is a mix of densely packed, low-rise concrete...
Written by Nihal Ranjit Edited by Sofia Juliet Rajan The deep-rooted inclination to mistrust or fear the “other” is as old as humankind, and is shaped both by nature and nurture. While these biases may exist in varying degrees, they are often reinforced by social, political,...
Written by Aysha Jennath Edited by Sofia Juliet Rajan If the first leg of the Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network fellowship was about preparedness and making new connections, the second chapter was rekindling connections while diving into newer disasters, particularly bushfires. I spent this part of the fellowship in...
Written by Rinchen Lama & Kabir Rana Edited by Sofia Juliet Rajan Nestled in the Eastern Ghats of Central Odisha are picturesque hamlets, where dense forests and rich culture meet the challenges of everyday survival. We explore the vibrant yet challenging landscapes of rural Odisha, focusing on...
Written by Aditi Apparaju Edited by Sofia Juliet Rajan At the northern tip of Karnataka, on the Deccan Plateau, lies Bidar (see map from Government of Karnataka), a district known for its expansive, treeless plateau landscape. It is divided into two contrasting regions: northern lowlands, with fertile...
Insights from the 8th India Land and Development Conference Written by Sheetal PatilEdited by Sofia Juliet Rajan Panel discussions at the India Land and Development Conference (2024) co-hosted by Indian Institute for Human Settlements and Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development delved into the intricate relationships among...
Written by Vinita Govindarajan Edited by Sofia Juliet Rajan Building a ‘resilient’ city is a growing policy priority for Indian metropolises. The core question driving this thinking, as seen in this paper, is: How can a city’s economic activity, infrastructure and communities ‘bounce back’ from shocks and...
Written by Aysha Jennath Edited by Sofia Juliet Rajan Disaster resilience has always been close to my heart, so when I came across the opportunity to apply for the second cohort of the Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network (IPCN) on disaster resilience, I was beyond excited. The IPCN, coordinated...
Written by Divyanshi Vyas Edited by Sofia Juliet Rajan I recently had the incredible opportunity to attend and present at the What Works Climate Solutions Summit,a conference on evidence-based climate policy, held in Berlin from June 9–12, 2024. Not only was this my first international conference, but...