What if the stories hidden in old streets could shape the future of a city? For Adheena Ashfaque, a childhood surrounded by the living heritage of Mattancherry has grown into a mission to make Kochi’s history accessible, inclusive, and meaningful for everyone.
For over 12 years, Noufal Mahboob carried a simple but powerful idea: meaningful change begins locally. Today, through Local Sustainable Living, he has created a space where sustainability, livelihoods, creativity, and community come together under one roof.
Born into one of Kerala’s most marginalised tribal communities, Manikandan turned hardship into hope. As the first Paniya MBA, he is now working to ensure that education and opportunity reach every corner of his community.
Exploring human stories through creativity.
For years, Sreeshma danced with the fear of making mistakes, constant comparisons, and never feeling “good enough.” But through Thudippu, the dancer slowly found something she had been missing all along: the freedom to move as herself.
For years, Fugdo survived quietly inside courtyards and community gatherings. Today, thanks to Maya P S and a collective of Kudumbi women, the centuries-old ritual dance is finding new audiences while holding on to its roots.
Through Thudippu, the institution she co-founded in Kochi, Ponnu Sanjeev is trying to build something radically different: a dance space rooted in safety, dignity, and care.
It takes resilience to push an artform’s boundaries and open it up for aspiring artists. Here, we meet Anjali Thudippu whose work embodies precisely this.
Shilanjani is a Germany and Netherlands-based academic, unfolding myths of indigenous societies and scribbling research notes in Bengali. Her research has involved travelling with Bengal’s Bauls and farming with Odisha’s Bodo Porojas. Here, we talk about folk music, culture, and her academics.
What if I told you that a spiritual society staunchly protests societal inequities through songs? A community leading a lifestyle deviant from mainstream society and sainthood alike. Read on to learn about the Bauls of Bengal through a conversation with Sumanta Das Baul and his family.
aikyam fellows inspire actions on important & urgent needs of the planet and underserved communities.
