Rucha Chitnis: Photojournalism | Writing | Films
Counter Narratives for systemic shifts. Rooted in the power of grassroots solutions and alternative movements
NEW STORIES
Yes! Magazine | Sept 2, 2021
Why Women Farmers in Rwanda Need to Lead the Conversation on Climate Change
Oct 24, 2019
Women farmers are the face of Rwanda’s agriculture, who bear disproportionate burdens of climate change. This small landlocked nation grasps the gendered realities of a changing climate on its smallholder women farmers.
Climate change and conflict: Manipuri women are fighting a war for survival on two fronts
March 29, 2017
Women in Manipur, India, are on the frontlines of climate change and conflict and are demanding recognition of their roles as peace builders, human rights defenders and advocates for sustainable development.
October 23, 2015
Asha Kowtal and the Dalit Women's Self-Respect March traveled across Northern India to document the ongoing violence against women who were once branded as "untouchable." Now, they're raising new leaders, and finding allies in Black Lives Matter.
In the Land of My Ancestors
October 12, 2015
Ann Marie Sayers is a rare example of a Native woman who continues to live in her ancestral land near California's famed Silicon Valley. Indian Canyon is the only federally recognized Indian country for over 300 miles from Sonoma to the coast of Santa Barbara.
Drought Relief Bill Threatens to Drown Sacred Sites
August 26, 2015
The Shasta Dam displaced the Winnemem Wintu tribe and drowned 90 percent of their sacred and ceremonial grounds. Now, a $1.3 billion drought relief bill threatens to destroy the fragile remnants of the tribe's cultural and spiritual sites.
My photo essay published in Truthout on community healing walks organized by Native American environmental advocates that raise awareness on environmental racism experienced by people of color communities living near the five large oil refineries in the northeast San Francisco Bay Area.
My photo essay published in Reimagine Race, Poverty and Environment on how immigrant Latina domestic workers are building personal and collective power for economic justice and worker rights and dignity.
The Female Face Of Agriculture in India
February 16, 2015
In the Indian Himalayas a pair of bulls works 1,064 hours, a man 1,212 hours, and a woman 3,485 hours in a year on a one-hectare farm, a figure which illustrates women’s significant contribution to agricultural production.
Food & Agriculture Organization, UN
Climate Change Solutions: What Do Women's Rights Have To Do With It?
April 22, 2013
In 2013, I had the immense privilege of traveling for six weeks through central and eastern India to engage in a dialogue with grassroots women’s groups. These women are raising their voices on deeply complex and gravely serious human rights issues. For example, they are advocating for indigenous peoples in Chhattisgarh, who risk being displaced by a dam.