
'Tales of ecological heroism'
'Tales of Ecological Heroism' is a photo story on the small-holding women farmers in India who are overcoming the adversities of climate and environment through their traditional farming practices.
At a time in post-Green Revolution India when the mass production-based agricultural practices are turning farmlands chemically-dependent, I was fascinated by the efforts of women farmers from the marginal and indigenous communities who have pledged to retain soil health while feeding healthy food to their communities.
My photo-documentary project started in 2016 in pursuit of stories of sustainable agriculture practices in Telangana, the state I hail from. During my stint as a photojournalist in the national newspaper ‘Indian Express’, I was troubled by the recurring instances of farmer suicides and agrarian distress.
I began my ongoing project by documenting the women farmers from Pastapur village in Telangana who belong to the Dalit community-considered among the lowest in India’s traditional caste-equation. Over the last four-and-a-half years, I lived with the women farmers and attempted to document their intriguing way of life which is scripting history in sustainable farming initiatives in India.
I have been taking photographs and video snippets from the region that covered the agricultural practices in detail. The attempt is not technical documentation of agriculture, but an artistic inquiry into the relationship between women, agriculture and society.
When people in developing countries were still thinking about 'women in agriculture', these women working with sanghams of the Deccan Development Society started strongly articulating that women 'are' agriculture.
I believe the smiles on their faces symbolize their strength and success of acquiring the most desired state of 'having enough' to feed the world.
As a visual artist, I want to celebrate the way of life of these small benevolent women farmers through my photos and stories of hope for the future of food and agriculture.












Photo Stories by
Tejasvi Dantuluri
'Looms and Lore'
"I went on a long arduous search for the weaver I always wanted to meet and write about, and then, I found these abandoned yarn piles hanging in his warehouse. Thought if he deployed the coloured cotton to narrate his grey story."
In 2015 as part of a university research project, I travelled to interiors of Andhra Pradesh to visit the Uppada handloom weavers. The project enabled me to see closely and listen to heart-wrenching stories of these ingenious skill men and women.

















