1. Lotuses are blooming in Kashmir's Wular Lake, 30 years after they vanished
In September 1992, a flood buried Wular Lake's lotus beds under silt, wiping out a livelihood that had sustained Kashmiri families for generations. For three decades, the lotus didn't return.In 2020, efforts were set up by the government for a large-scale effort to dredge silt from the lake. So far, they have managed to remove 79 lakh cubic metres.
The result? Lotus roots buried beneath the silt finally had room to grow again. The first signs of revival appeared last year, and this year they dispersed lotus seeds across the lake.
For a region facing falling incomes, the lotus's return also means the revival of nadru harvesting — a traditional, labour-intensive occupation. The revival was also celebrated with dishes that featured the lotus stem, which were once a part of the local diet.
You can read about this in detail on The Indian Express.
2. Farmers are shifting back to millet-based farming, celebrating their resilience
Despite climate change making the weather increasingly unpredictable, one crop has been making a steady comeback.
For generations, millets like bajra, jowar, and ragi were everyday staples. Rajasthan had bajra rotis, Karnataka had ragi mudde, and Maharashtra had jowar bhakri. Over time, these were replaced with conventional grains like rice and wheat, which were easier to grow at the time.
Now, as delayed rains and prolonged dry spells make conventional farming riskier, these millets are proving to be a solution to the unpredictable weather. They are resilient, require less water, and are able to thrive in poor soil where other crops struggle.
In drought-hit parts of Karnataka, thousands of farmers have already shifted to millet-based farming, trading the uncertainty of rain-dependent crops for a grain that has proven its resilience. The shift has offered farmers a steadier harvest, and with millets being rich in fibre, iron, and protein, they are growing in demand every day.
