Lives lost in blind alley of life

Superstition among the people in Orissa's interiors makes people believe that people practicing witchcraft were responsible for the death of their near and dear ones even though the deaths were due to malaria, diarrhoea or other such ailments. With no modicum of healthcare facilities existing in the rural pockets, people become easy prey to the quacks. Thus begins the macabre dance of death in which women are branded as dayan and consigned to death. It's tragic and horrific to say the least....

Back of the beyond-The Orissa story

Backbreaking poverty and superstition contributes to the ongoing problem of witchcraft killings in the hinterland of Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj and other tribal districts of Orissa.

Fishing in troubled waters

Thousands of traditional fishermen living in and around Chilika Lake are a worried lot. Their demands are going unheard since long as a strong lobby of non-traditional fishermen are blocking te passage of a Bill aimed at protecting the interests of the traditional fishermen.

Life on the coast

Life was badly affected by the supercyclone that ripped apart coastal Orissa on October 29, 1999. Six years after the disaster, people are yet to get over the losses they suffered. This article is one-year-old, but it is still relevant because the government and the voluntary sector have so far not been able to provide any psychological support to the survivors. Whenever the sea turns wild, the people of Ermasa apprehend a threat to their life and property. The region has turned green, but in the hamlets one finds many people living a life full of misery and uncertainty.

Orissa Industrialisation

Industrialisation is taking place in the Indian State of Orissa at gun point. Tribals are being terrorised by use of police force wherever they are opposing a steel plant project or alumina refinery. Displacement and environment do not seem to the concern of the State Government. The current approach to carry out industrialisation in the State may leave thousands of people homeless.