Susheel Kumar Soni

India is a blend of ancient traditions and modern values and nothing reflects it more than its villages. Here are a few unique customs around love and marriages that have prevailed over decades, even centuries. In the states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan, melas or religious fairs often double up as matchmaking events. One such is Bihar’s Sonepur mela, which is a sanctioned space for fixing matches as young men and women interact in the presence of their families.

What if we told you that a chance outing of a Romanian chocolate lover to a coffee plantation in India has led to the enrichment of India’s cocoa market? Disbelief is natural. But here we are with Patricia Cosma, who after years of studying and understanding the Indian cocoa industry, has spruced up the cocoa trade by conceiving and curating India’s first and only cacao and craft chocolate festival.

Rani Chaki’s story is nothing short of extraordinary. The 45-year-old widow, who lives in village Konkoa, nestled in the Sonwa block of Chakradharpur district, Jharkhand, turned her life around from the depths of despair to become a beacon of hope and empowerment for her community. Her journey began with tragedy. In 2012 she lost her husband and the sole breadwinner of their family, which included their two young children and her elderly in-laws.