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- About
- Values
- Team
- Board
- Ethics Statement
- Funding Partners
- Financials
- Work with us
- Sectors
- Agriculture
- Education
- Environment
- Health & Well-being
- Livelihoods
- Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Themes
- Advocacy & Government
- Climate Emergency
- Diversity & Inclusion
- Ecosystem Development
- Fundraising & Communications
- Gender
- Inequality
- Leadership & Talent
- Philanthropy & CSR
- Social Business
- Scale
- Social Justice
- Technology
- Urban
- Youth
- Humour
- Features
- A day in the life of
- Failure Files
- Ground Up
- IDR Explains
- IDR Interviews
- Perspectives
- Photo Essays
- Fellowship
- Alumni
- Podcasts
- On the Contrary by IDR
- Failure Files by IDR
- Social impact podcasts
- More
- Events and conferences
- Social Sector Fellowships
- Leadership & Development Courses
- Partners
- Print Archive
- Republishing guidelines
- Write for IDR
- Payment for Authors
- Vendor database for nonprofits
- IDR Answers
- Donate





Humour

* * *

# Whose calendar is it anyway?

So many calendars, so little time.

by Pratibha Narayanan, Rashi Nair | 2 min read

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* * *

## Latest



Health & Well-being

SUPPORTED BY THE WELLBEING PROJECT

* * *

Who counsels the children’s counsellors in Shillong?

Counsellors working at a nonprofit in Meghalaya’s capital city speak about compassion fatigue and workplace well-being, and emphasise the need for therapist support groups.

by Samme Massar | 2 min read



Environment

* * *

In rural Mizoram, I struggle to stop my community from hunting

A biodiversity conservationist in Murlen village reflects on the challenge of convincing his community to let go of traditions that endanger the environment.

by Pauzatuala | 2 min read



Social Justice

* * *

Half a century later, where does India’s Gramdan movement stand today?

Led by Vinoba Bhave, Gramdan, or collective land ownership by villages, emerged as a major social movement in the 1950s and ‘60s. While more than 3,000 gramdani villages exist even today, these communities face complex challenges.

by India Development Review | 6 min read



Ecosystem Development

* * *

It’s time to rethink MEL

Originally devised to help organisations reflect and learn from their work, monitoring, evaluation, and learning has been reduced to a reporting tool. How can this change?

by India Development Review | 4 min read



Ecosystem Development

* * *

Keeping participant data safe: What researchers can do

Social science research often involves collecting personal and sensitive information. Data de-identification is one key way researchers can protect participants’ privacy.

by Chandan Jain, Anagha Mariya Jose | 4 min read

Get Smart. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter, IDR Edit, featuring the best reads on development in India.    SIGN UP

* * *

## Ground Up

SEE ALL

Bite-sized stories from the people closest to the action.




Health & Well-being

SUPPORTED BY THE WELLBEING PROJECT

* * *

Who counsels the children’s counsellors in Shillong?

by Samme Massar

East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya

Environment

photo

* * *

In rural Mizoram, I struggle to stop my community from hunting

by Pauzatuala

Champhai district, Mizoram

Advocacy & Government

photo

* * *

Why villagers in West Jaintia Hills quit agriculture for MGNREGA

by Mayfereen Ryntathiang

West Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya ; East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya

Health & Well-being

photo

* * *

Ladakh’s drying climate is causing a health crisis for women

by Safeena Wani

Leh district, Ladakh

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## Videos

SEE ALL

On The Contrary | Episode 5: Well-being in a tech-first world (Part I)

On The Contrary | Episode 5: Well-being in a tech-first world (Part II)

On The Contrary | Episode 4 – Lessons on well-being in activism: Kumi Naidoo and Louisa Zondo

* * *

## A day in the life of

SEE ALL



Frontline workers and first responders share their insights from working at the grassroots.




Environment

* * *

Why conservation needs connection: Guarding Rajasthan’s forests

A day in the life of a forest guard, who navigates gender roles, community needs, and conservation in Rajasthan.

by Santosh Kunwar Bhati | 5 min read

Health & Well-being

* * *

From self to society: Navigating silence and stigma around mental health

A day in the life of a community health worker in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, who tackles mental health stigma through trust and support—in her own life and for the people she serves.

by Geeta Shakya | 6 min read

Education

SUPPORTED BY KOITA FOUNDATION

* * *

Observing classrooms, building capacities

A day in the life of an educator, who uses a technology-enabled approach to coach government school teachers in Palghar, Maharashtra.

by Ketan Tambe | 8 min read

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## Failure Files

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Social change leaders chronicle their failures and lessons learnt.



Leadership & Talent

* * *

Building team culture isn’t optional

A nonprofit co-founder reflects on how scaling rapidly unintentionally alienated employees, which led to cracks in organisational culture.

by Vijayalakshmi Mohan | 7 min read

Social Justice

* * *

Preparing for a marathon, not a sprint

Dalit civil rights activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan on why failure is an opportunity to build power, how systems of oppression affect well-being, and what healing looks like for individuals and communities.

by India Development Review | 10 min read

Leadership & Talent

* * *

Why don’t nonprofits talk about their failures?

A number of risks, both real and perceived, stop nonprofits from talking about failure. Here's how various stakeholders can work together to overcome them.

by Tanaya Jagtiani, Rachita Vora | 7 min read

* * *

## IDR Interviews

SEE ALL



Conversations with visionaries on their life's work, and their efforts to challenge the status quo in our country.



"You can’t talk about childcare without talking about labour. About migration. About how women work long hours for low wages. About where they live, what they eat, how invisible they are to systems meant to serve them."

Devika Singh

9 min read

"Activists should go to places where laws are made and also where laws are implemented. If you don’t get into politics, you won’t be able to save the country."

Dayamani Barla

3 min read

"I spoke of the rights of Adivasis in my songs. When the state of Jharkhand was created, we had great aspirations, and  these aspirations are also woven into my songs."

Madhu Mansuri Hasmukh

8 min read

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* * *

## Sectors

SEE ALL

Insights and analysis of specific sectors in the development arena—what works, what doesn't, and what needs to change.



See all coverage by topic:

- Agriculture
- Education
- Environment
- Health & Well-being
- Livelihoods
- Rights
- Water & Sanitation

Livelihoods

* * *

Cash crops, highways, and the Ranglongs’ struggle for identity

A growing push for cash crops like rubber and areca nut threatens the bamboo-based livelihoods and traditions of the Ranglongs in North Tripura.

by Hansatanu Roy | 4 min read

Rights

SUPPORTED BY COMMON GROUND INITIATIVE

* * *

Hamaare gaon mein hum hi sarkaar: Reclaiming commons across India

India's commons are often seized from the people who nurture them. Here's how communities are asserting their right to govern these lands.

by Srishti Gupta, Tanupriya Singh | 9 min read

Agriculture

* * *

Building sustainable FPOs: Lessons from India’s cooperatives

By early 2025, 10,000 FPOs had been set up in India under a central government scheme. But a focus on targets risks undermining what makes FPOs truly viable—community ownership, infrastructure, and capacity building.

by Divyaa Poonam Gupta, Sanjana Mohanty | 7 min read

* * *

## Themes

SEE ALL

Approaches and ideas that cut across sectors and counter the dominant narratives around us.



See all coverage by topic:

- Advocacy & Government
- Climate Emergency
- Collaboration
- COVID-19
- Diversity & Inclusion
- Ecosystem Development
- Gender
- Inequality
- Philanthropy & CSR
- Scale
- Social Business
- Social Justice
- Urban
- Youth

Social Justice

* * *

Half a century later, where does India’s Gramdan movement stand today?

Led by Vinoba Bhave, Gramdan, or collective land ownership by villages, emerged as a major social movement in the 1950s and ‘60s. While more than 3,000 gramdani villages exist even today, these communities face complex challenges.

by India Development Review | 6 min read

Ecosystem Development

* * *

It’s time to rethink MEL

Originally devised to help organisations reflect and learn from their work, monitoring, evaluation, and learning has been reduced to a reporting tool. How can this change?

by India Development Review | 4 min read

Ecosystem Development

* * *

Keeping participant data safe: What researchers can do

Social science research often involves collecting personal and sensitive information. Data de-identification is one key way researchers can protect participants’ privacy.

by Chandan Jain, Anagha Mariya Jose | 4 min read

* * *

## Expertise

SEE ALL

Skills and functions that are core to growing programmes and organisations.



See all coverage by topic:

- Board & Governance
- Fundraising & Communications
- Leadership & Talent
- Monitoring & Evaluation
- Programme
- Technology

Ecosystem Development

* * *

It’s time to rethink MEL

Originally devised to help organisations reflect and learn from their work, monitoring, evaluation, and learning has been reduced to a reporting tool. How can this change?

by India Development Review | 4 min read

Ecosystem Development

* * *

Keeping participant data safe: What researchers can do

Social science research often involves collecting personal and sensitive information. Data de-identification is one key way researchers can protect participants’ privacy.

by Chandan Jain, Anagha Mariya Jose | 4 min read

Monitoring & Evaluation

* * *

Measure what matters to the community

To effectively track progress and evaluate results of community-driven initiatives, funders and nonprofits must start by asking what success looks like from the community’s perspective.

by Elisabeth Makumbi, Aditi Sharma, Jasleen Kaur | 8 min read

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##### SECTORS

Agriculture Education Environment Health Rights Livelihoods Water & Sanitation

##### EXPERTISE

Board & Governance Fundraising & Communications Leadership & Talent Monitoring & Evaluation Programme Technology

##### THEMES

Advocacy & Government Diversity & Inclusion Gender Philanthropy & CSR Social Business Urban Climate Emergency COVID-19 Collaboration Ecosystem Development Inequality Scale Social Justice Youth

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