Feature Article

FIVE YEARS ago, the social forestry department in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra cleared several trees from a forest near Nandivse village to plant acacia trees. It did not know that the 4-ha patch was a sacred grove surrounding the temple of a powerful local deity, Kal Bhairon. The villagers, too, joined in because they were paid for the felling and planting.

The tribals of south Bihar found new self respect after their struggle to save their sarnas from outsiders.

The grove of Tivri is the only one in Ratnagiri district to have escaped a social forestry scheme.

Kerala's serpent groves have fallen victim to changing times and beliefs.

The kuthuvals of Madurai district are degraded today and are partially responsible for increasing monsoon havoc.

A DISCOVERY has been the existence of aands. Till recently one had been talking only of oraans as sacred groves. Aand is a vow, taken by a village, not to grow anything on a plot of land. The aands

A recent congress highlighted the relevance of people oriented science and technology such as the management of water, forests and agriculture.

Authorities of a wildlife sanctuary propose to curb the menace of rampaging wild boars by providing affected villagers with, among other things, volleyball and television sets.

• More than 1,000 delegates -- academics, activists, students and farmers -- attended the Congress on Traditional Sciences and Technologies of India, held in Bombay from November 28 to December

Dearth of knowledge has frustrated attempts to revive a traditional but viable method of making iron.