News from India : of positive action, steely endeavour and quiet triumphs ~ news that is little known
gniLogo
India is a million new initiatives now and GoodNewsIndia is dedicated to publicising them.
Unique visitors:
since Jun,00


Page-views:
3,000,000 :   Jun,07 
2,000,000 :   Jul,05 
1,000,000 : Dec,03 
0,000,000 :  Jun,00 

Why is GoodNewsIndia not being updated?

Many regular readers of GoodNewsIndia [GNI] have wondered why this site has not been updated since 2006. The simple answer is this: the one-man team, that is me, D V Sridharan that publishes GNI is busy with a land restoration project christened, pointReturn . It will need my undivided time and attention at least till 2010; that leaves me with little time or energy to travel and do stories for GNI as I have done since 2000. So work on the site is temporarily suspended.

That is the reason. But there is a connecting story behind how I came to undertake pointReturn. In case you are interested, do pull up a chair and listen. It's a long one, and I must caution, somewhat opinionated.  ⇒⇒


Beginning to grow –  Falling in love with swales –  The new pavilion at pointReturn –  Status report: June, 2009 –  Adventures with the Rocket Stove –  Trees at pointReturn –  Permaculture : an interlude –  Exploring cob –  Large water storage - a solution –  Off grid power – 
What is pointReturn | Mission


MAGAZINE

List of all stories

Random Picks

Beyond even his dreams:
rValley
When J Krishnamurthy spotted that banyan tree in 1925, it is doubtful if he envisioned how it might change the grim landscape and lives around it.


Minimalism in service:
dada
Dada Lakhiani is a role model for everyone who is sitting out for the right time, funds and opportunity to do something for India.


Inside China’s anti-poverty success:
chIndJun04
Does China’s economic performance show-up India, or are there some unique merits in our system that we do not value sufficiently?


The two-pit privy man:
sulabh
Perfecting a simple sanitation solution and getting it to revolutionise Indian society has taken 35 years of Dr Bindeshwar Pathak’s life


A Marathon man in village-India:
elango
The success of Rangaswamy Elango at Kuthambakkam village justifies the hope that Gram Swaraj will yet bloom all across India.


This postman delivered more than mail:
postmanSingh
This vintage classic from the 1930s should give us heart because it shows service to fellowman is intrinsic to Indian way of life.



Bridges to mainstream life:
bharadwaj
Girish Bharadwaj’s foot bridges for isolated villages are transforming communities—and are aesthetic as well


Jim Garthe’s innovation:
plastoFuel
The pioneering work of Jim Garthe at the Univ. of Pennsylvania, in converting plastic waste into an energy resource has a great significance for India’s environment.


Enfolding the lost ones in Goa:
plastoFuel
Bernadette D’Souza and Gregory D’Costa strive for the dignity of immigrants who built today’s shining Goa - and, are abandoned on its streets to their own devices.


After micro credit, it’s micro capital, now:
aavishkaar
Aavishkaar is a pioneer attempt by India’s overseas professionals to bring venture capitalism to socially, environmentally relevant small businesses.


Making the foot run:
ymc
Not many know that top bureaucrat D R Mehta’s 30 year long commitment and leadership are what revived the famed Jaipur foot from slumber and taken it to a third of a million people round the world


Dreams come true in Ratnagiri:
rwh
An unlikely team of clerks in government offices in Mumbai are reaching out to rural school children in Ratnagiri district


A rare and enviable school:
olcott
The free school for the poor he founded in 1894, is an equal legacy of Henry Steel Olcott to the Theosphical Society that he co-founded and promoted


Help for puzzled visitors:
shristi
Caring for autistic and special children in India, has been entirely mothers’ and private citizens’ effort, as typified by Shristi Special Academy in Bangalore.


A magic wand to zap plastics:
dhan
Alka Zadgaonkar conjures up a way to end waste plastics menace by creating value for collectors and processors


Reality catches up with GNI’s Publisher:
mgm
Having published GoodNewsIndia since 2000, it was hard to overlook MGM Beach Resort’s ways in my own backyard.


A soldier’s march into peace:
ralegan
Anna Hazare’s work with Ralegan Siddhi has thrown up a model for all round development of India’s villages.


Biodiesel goes from lab to land:
svo
Prof Shrinivasa’s SuTRA has proved to India’s tribal people that biodiesel is the best way to electrify their homes. And they are making a revolution of it.


Staring down droughts:
dharwad
Amidst the gloom of droughts and suicides, we have this transformation of farmers who will look a drought in its eye.


Young voices rising:
cwc
Nandana Reddy and Damu Acharya have approached the issue of India’s working children by creating activists from children’s own ranks.


World standard toilets:
fuad
Since 1999, Fuad Lokhandwala has been demonstrating in New Delhi that building and running toilets to world standards is possible along sound commercial lines.


The new Indian rope-trick :
upChain
In the decade since it opened its economy, India has survived early shocks and has now assimilated with elan the tricks of making good profits in world markets.


A U-Turn at B-School:
dhan
M P Vasimalai’s rural upbringing made him turn back to rural India, soon as he graduated from IIM-A


Battling for governance :
santosh
Parivartan’s unknown little Indians like Santosh, have fought to clear the thickets to form tracks to good governance.


Sifted from main media

Jan 06, 2007

T S Ninan has picked six mega-trends discernible in India today. Five will make our hearts glad: Indian businesses will rival global giants in scale; speed of all manner of transactions will improve all round efficiencies; urbanisation and the growth of middle class that will follow it, will spawn caste-neutral politicians and force governments to provide better quality of life and services; common-Indian’s steadily growing integration with the world will bring about a new confidence and style in behaviour; with something like half of India being under 25, youth will gain ascent and their throbbing energy and desire for fairness will change India in unforeseeable ways.

The sixth one, his #4 in fact, is what makes Ninan’s exercise a serious one. Ninan says the destruction of environment, irresponsible energy use and insensitive pursuit of wealth could easily turn the modern day fairy-tale that the other five trends foretell, into a nightmare or even an endgame before collapse.

The full article

OTHER PICKS:  Kerala takes to Linux |  Sharath Babu IIM-A |  ...more


SUPPLEMENTS

List of all articles

Recent Reports

Jan 28, 2007::Activism
§ Siege of Goa… defeated!

Not since the success of the movement to save the Silent Valley in Kerala has there been a people’s victory comparable to how the siege of Goa was broken.

Jan 24, 2007::Energy
§ Emerging alternate energy breakthroughs

Although not of Indian origin, two new developments could favourably affect our environmental and energy situation.

Jan 16, 2007::Reforms
§ The Supreme Court growls

The Supreme Court has settled once and for all, that the Parliament’s freedom to legislate is not unfettered but subject to provisions of the Constitution

Jan 12, 2007::Sciences
§ A miracle rice

A new variety of rice known as the Aerobic Rice has been discovered which requires little water, generates no methane and produces good yields.

Random picks:

Sep 09, 2004:Initiative
Bio-diesel moves you can make right now

Reality is, there is a huge shortage and and a need to create new supplies of them.

Jan 16, 2007:Reforms
The Supreme Court growls

The Supreme Court has settled once and for all, that the Parliament’s freedom to legislate is not unfettered but subject to provisions of the Constitution

Feb 19, 2004:Activism
Arun Jaitley’s insider-view

Of the distortions in world trade indulged in by the West, the most stark are in agricultural subsidies

Oct 07, 2003:Activism
Another surprise from Bihar

In spite of its much maligned administration and almost compulsively retailed jokes, Bihar still has surprises to deliver

Jun 22, 2003:Enthusiast
Col S S Rajan: Walking to reconnect with India

Among the few things that a man in uniform gets in India when he retires is, faith and love of his land.

Jul 01, 2004:Innovation
Plastics recycling is out in the streets

Ahmed Khan has now produced what seems a flawless solution that will satisfy all critics.

Dec 31, 2003:Newsclip
The Indian Army as development agent?

Army may be the right means to deliver this development message.

Apr 28, 2003:Enthusiast
Dr. N H Athreya::A pioneer advocate of excellence

“And when I heard of GoodNewsIndia in Rajkot during a seminar I was delighted,” said this grand old man. 

Nov 30, 2004:Ideas For India
Safe water from SODIS and SPOWTS

Delivering sharp slaps on the notion of safe water having to come in priced bottles that are thrown away as litter. 

Oct 29, 2005:Activism
Mumbai mill lands, retrieved for the people

Debi Goenka stood up to frustrate the conspiracy of profiteers to grab hundreds of acres earmarked for parks and other public spaces.

Dec 04, 2002:Update
Cane trash charcoal progress.

Housewives just love this cooker, not only because of the low fuel consumption

Jul 22, 2003:Newsclip
A fresh insight into changing India

“Labour market flexibility in India is reality for all but a small labour aristocracy.”

Dec 03, 2003:Innovation
Karan Grover’s building is Green Platinum

India can escape the horrors that the West went through before it recovered

Aug 21, 2003:Initiative
Good cheer on IDay-56

Read the Sam Singh saga...that would be enough to fill you with optimism

Sep 08, 2004:Activism
Villagers teach how projects impact people

If you marshall the Net, it’s not so hard to be a Thakkar.

Dec 19, 2002:Economy
Now, an India-grown three box car.

Indigo will compete with models from the likes of Ford, GM and Hyundai

Mar 29, 2004:Innovation
Is India’s Simputer bad for industry?

In a world that has been drugged to believe that computing is not possible without Microsoft products, these four Indians are pointing to an enticing road ahead.

Jun 10, 2003:Ideas For India
Tube wells in the sky

Already in India milk is cheaper than bottled water. Soon petroleum maybe too.

Jun 08, 2003:Trend
Justice on faster track

The number of heinous crimes had come down, particularly in Rajasthan and Maharashtra

May 12, 2003:Ideas For India
Can’t commerce and heritage combine?

This passion piece is prompted by Adalaj Vav

Apr 13, 2004:Economy
Supreme Court arms the Securitisation Act

Increase in credit and at cheap rates will spur investments and create jobs.

Sep 15, 2002:Initiative
A model to fight bio-piracy

Prize for Dr Pushpangadan’s work with the Kani tribe

Mar 04, 2004:Resources
Bamboo futures

It takes 60 years to replace a 60 foot tree but only 60 days to replace a 60 foot bamboo

Dec 12, 2002:Newsclip
The Divide closes by a few more inches

Language is not the barrier - it is the challenge to create a PC that will

Jan 01, 2004:Profile
The importance of Master P S Athavale

Pandurang Shastri Athavale is one of modern India’s Great Masters

Oct 08, 2003:Environment
Forests envelop a steel town

Vizag Steel itself is one of the most modern steel plants in the country and a government run unit which has revitalized itself

Nov 24, 2003:Innovation
The karaoke way to literacy.

India has about 300million each of non-literates and neo-literates. SLS offers a very low cost technique of developing their reading skill

Nov 09, 2002:Trend
Creating IP for Philips

India’s knowledge services to the world is broader than you think.  Most imagine it to be just software

Sep 21, 2002:Newsclip
Madhu Sudan wins the Nevanlinna Prize

The areas of his work may mystify the best of us but let us try

Dec 07, 2003:Ideas For India
Holistic farming

These are ideas that a rapidly changing India needs

Jul 02, 2003:Ideas For India
An Indian use for geodesic domes

Is there an enthusiast out there to commission a study of this idea by specialists?

Dec 04, 2002:Innovation
A digital rural market covering 6000 villages

eChoupals will arrive in 100,000 villages within a decade

Nov 08, 2004:Profile
Surfacing from a dive

His life changed the moment his question changed from “why me?” to “why not me?”

Nov 26, 2003:Memory Speaks
Life in the wadas

“We wouldn’t return home till we had done the rounds of at least 20-30 homes”

May 08, 2003:Energy
A national biodiesel policy is in the works

The team headed by Prof. Shrinivasa has come up with a draft policy

Jan 07, 2004:Trend
At Future’s gates

Freedom has resulted in this current demographic advantage, that is likely to last another 20 years.

Jan 17, 2003:Enthusiast
Subraya Bhatt::Genes Archivist

He has so far brought back 80 species of mango and jack-fruit

Oct 07, 2003:Enthusiast
Shivdutt Pandey: A priest into development

Pandey’s outlook is what a student needs to learn, to get inspired, to make a contribution towards society

May 06, 2003:Activism
Green India socks three offenders

India is a truly open society, people are well informed and activists are implacable. Activists like Vandana Shiva

Jul 30, 2003:Newsclip
The Indian edge in education

“The United States contracts out its technical thinking to Asia”



...list of all articles




Write to GoodNewsIndia

GNI Mailing List
Sign UpLeave