Know our Community

Barnyard Millet, Mandua Flour

Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand

Umma Devi ji dwells from Uttarkashi in the state of Uttarakhand. She owns a water mill, locally known as Gharat, one of the earliest machines known to humankind. She mills cold pressed flour of Finger Millet also known as Ragi and Barnyard millet. The cold pressed technique of milling flour keeps intact the nutritional value of the millets. She has been practicing this method since past 50 years, and through Jalaj Kendraj, she got the opportunity to generate livelihood from gharat for herself and other women Ganga Prahari making them independent and proud on their traditional practices.

Cotton Hand Bag

Diamond Harbour, West Bengal

Suprava Bera, one of the Ganga Prahari, is a native of the district 24 Parganas (South), West Bengal. During COVID-19 pandemic, they lost their only source of sustenance, but she never loses her anticipation and subsequently receive training in a workshop under Jalaj Aarya. Similarly, many women Ganga Prahari are sole breadwinner of the household that sustains financially through their skill. The beautifully stitched cloth bags are being sold in the market to promote the less use of plastic bags.

Batik Print Worker (Saree and Wraparound)

Sunderban West Bengal

The women Ganga Prahari of Sunderban, West Bengal are empowering themselves by generating sources of livelihood simultaneously with creating awareness among people for the conservation of River Ganga and its biodiversity through battik print sarees and uttorios. Many women in the group, being sole breadwinner of the family have responsibility of preschoolers and they are efficiently fulfilling their responsibility with the help of this battik art work, making them financially and socially independent.

Hand Painted Cotton Saree with blouse piece

Diamond Harbour, West Bengal

A group of Ganga Prahari including both men and women are preparing these sarees in West Bengal, to reviving their old traditions in a modern form along with conveying their message of biodiversity conservation of River Ganga. Tanay Mondol, an art teacher used to teach drawing to children and due to lack of sufficient resources, he struggled to provide for his family. The opportunity with Jalaj Aarya, provides him and the group, a chance to hand-paint sarees and make a good living to support their families.

Herbal Soap

Bhagalpur, Bihar

The women from Kadwa Diyara, a remote village in Bhagalpur district of Bihar are committed to strengthen themselves and other women in the village. Despite coming from conservative rural background, they did not only create livelihood opportunities for themselves but also participate actively in conservation of Greater Adjutant Stork (Garuda) in Naugachia block of Bhagalpur. Due to dynamic role of these communities at grassroot level along with the management, the population of Greater Adjutant Storks have risen significantly. The women group are making handcrafted soap bars from natural ingredients like turmeric, orange peel, milk, beetroot, neem and charcoal to prevent lather, polluting River Ganga. Their initiative towards conservation has empowered them along with creating symbiotic linkages between people and nature.