Tora Agarwala
Tora covers the Northeast for The Indian Express. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @toramatix
Articles By Tora Agarwala
Dibrugarh’s bright spot: Man gives ‘world class’ makeover to road named after father
A broken, pot-holed street in Dibrugarh gets a sophisticated makeover, courtesy a local resident who spent five years and Rs 13 lakh on what he calls his "dream project" to honour his late father.
Preserving Sanchipaat: How Assam’s centuries-old manuscripts will be protected
A two-roomed “treatment” centre has been set up under the National Mission for Manuscripts to conserve Sanchipaat, the centuries-old manuscripts of ancient Assam.
In Nagaland, a designated day to celebrate its bees
Once a traditional hobby, today beekeeping in Nagaland has become a sustainable source of income for its villagers.
Assam: Tea garden poet and Bodo author among winners of Sahitya Akademi Awards 2018
On December 5, in a press release, the Sahitya Akademi announced its list of winners for 2018. Among them are Sananta Tanti, a poet from Assam's tea garden community and Rituraj Basumatary of the Bodo tribe.
Stripes in the snow: At 3,630 meters, India’s only snow tigers are burning bright
A three-year survey in Arunachal Pradesh’s Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary reveals photographic evidence of tigers in the snow-clad peaks of the Indian part of the Eastern Himalayas — a first after Russia’s Amur tigers.
A forgotten tale: how the first Nagamese book is seeking a reprint
Navamalati Chakraborty’s “Nagaland” was the first Nagamese book ever written, and subsequently forgotten. It might be brought back to life.
Melody, not rhetoric, the major crowd-puller at Mizoram rallies
While Lalhmachhuana said he spoke about the performance “in jest”, Lalengkima Colney, editor of local daily Rengkhawpui, said the demand for Feli Fanai — a popular singer from Champhai district — has soared over the past few elections.
Melody, not rhetoric, the major crowd-puller at Mizoram rallies
In an election where politicians try their hardest to be heard, it is the artiste’s voice that resounds the loudest.
The 30-year quest to house a museum in western Assam
Three decades since it was created, a small museum trying to tell the tale of one of Western Assam's oldest towns is still struggling to find a permanent home
In Nagaland, ‘cradles’ of hope for abandoned babies
Part of a pilot project called Cradle of Hope by State Child Protection Services, the cradles which will be placed in police stations, hospitals, clinics, anganwadis etc, aim at helping young mothers “to surrender their child in a responsible manner.”
Fight for independent digital identity of the Assamese script continues
A petition with 500 signatures has been forwarded to the PMO, CMO seeking an independent slot in the Unicode.
Assam: Mass protest against Citizenship Amendment Bill by Northeastern states
The Assam government has not taken any official stand, meanwhile, the AGP which is part of the alliance with the BJP has maintained that it will pull out of the government if the Bill is passed.
The ‘barefoot counsellors’ of Assam who tackle women’s problems anywhere, anytime
From sexual harassment to domestic abuse — Assam’s barefoot counsellors are lending a ear to a gamut of issues faced by women living in small towns and remote villages.
The story of a day-long ‘marriage’
He is 15, she around 60. They got talking on the phone, resulting in a meeting, a ‘forced’ wedding and instant divorce. A month later...
Why this all-kids starrer is a turning point in Nagamese filmmaking
Children’s film Nani Teri Morni — arguably the first Nagamese film to garner national attention — had its world premiere at the ongoing International Film Festival of India in Goa.
My idea was to… look at Majuli from within, says director Anupam Kaushik Borah
Anupam Kaushik Borah’s film, Bornodi Bhotiai, tells the story of a Majuli, which most other narratives on the disappearing island, miss
In Assamese film Bornodi Bhotiai, find a Majuli that no one knows of
Between the tragedy of a vanishing island and the celebration of its flourishing culture, there is a Majuli that goes unnoticed. Anupam Kaushik Borah’s film Bordnodi Bhotiai tells that tale.
In the hamlets of Mawkyrwat, villagers have a healthy new hobby
A marathon deep in the hilly trails of Meghalaya is catalysing an inherent but hidden talent among its locals. Welcome to the hamlets of Mawkyrwat, where everyone has a new hobby: running
This Youtube channel is taking Mising musicians way beyond their tribal tunes
There’s a quiet revolution in the Mising music industry courtesy Miriwood, a Youtube channel that has gained more than 15k subscribers in just six months
Assam villagers vow to protect their ‘pride’: the agile, arboreal, and now endangered Golden Langur
The first boundary pillar was erected to demarcate a 23-sq km area identified for the “Golden Langur Habitat Conservation” project — a joint effort by the villagers and forest department officials of Chirang.
