Roots of Care, Surrounded by Leaves of Coffee

In Coorg, where coffee shrubs stretch endlessly across the hills, caregiving is not a taskโit is a way of life, stitched into every fold of the landscape. It begins before […]
The End of Joint Families โ What Are We Losing, What Are We Gaining, and What Are We Failing to Rethink?

For centuries, the joint family was Indiaโs default model for living, caregiving, and even economic security. It wasnโt just about cohabitationโit was an intricate system of shared labor, emotional interdependence, […]
Stories Are Not ManufacturedโThey Emerge

Thereโs too much emphasis on writing a story, producing it in different formats, and packaging it neatly. But for me,ย writing is an outcome, not the starting point. Stories donโt begin […]
Not Just a Toy: How Children Befriend Objects

As remembered by Vibha .ย ย My childhood home was filled with little curiosities, trinkets that my father would pick up on his travels. I remember a brass vase from […]
5 Lessons we Learnt from Childhood Unlocked – Celebrating Karnatakaโs Journey in Early Childhood Education

In April 2025, Childhood Unlocked brought together over 100 people under one roof in Bengaluruโeach one united by a simple but powerful belief: that every child deserves a joyful, playful […]
Hyperlocal Care Economies: The Crucial Role of Context in Early Childhood Development

Care is deeply rooted in specific cultural, social, and economic contexts. This is particularly evident in early childhood development across the Global South, where hyperlocal approachesโtailored to the unique needs […]
What Children Choose and what their choices reveal

Play involves so much; it holds questions, curiosity, choices, and revelations. On thisย International Day of Play, we find ourselves circling around a particular question:ย What do children choose when left to […]
When Care Gets Distant: Rethinking Grandparents, Grandkids, and the Missing Middle

“Pehle toh poora ghar bacche ke uthne ka intezaar karta tha. Ab kehte hainโscreen time ke dauraan call karo.” โ Aaji, Nashik We didnโt start out asking about grandparents. But […]
“Kheloge Kudoge Banoge Lajawab”: A Children’s Manifesto for Play is Born

“Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.” – Rabindranath Tagore There are moments that sparkle with the pure, unadulterated magic of childhood, moments […]
Stories That Tell Themselves

Great stories arenโt craftedโtheyโre uncovered. They live quietly around us, waiting patiently to be seen, heard, and felt. The FactorDailyโBachpan Manao Storytelling Fellowship began with a simple conviction: real stories […]