In a quiet village on the outskirts of Shantiniketan, a remarkable shift is underway, though you might miss it at first glance. What was once barren land is now home to a thriving forest, buzzing with creativity, skill-building, and quiet determination. At the centre of it all is ‘Moram’, a community-driven initiative as well as a sustainable home-stay helping tribal women in Birbhum reclaim their identities, not just as workers, but as artists, entrepreneurs, and changemakers.

At the heart of this transformation are Sonali Chakraborty and Gopal Poddar, co-founders of Art Illuminates Mankind (AIM), the NGO (Non-Government Organisation) behind Moram.

A dream that took root in red soil

Back in 2012, Sonali and Gopal made an unconventional decision. Inspired by the vibrant models of responsible tourism they had seen across Gujarat, Rajasthan, and South India, they sold their Kolkata flat and relocated to a village 12 kilometres from Santiniketan. Their goal wasn’t just to revive dying folk arts but to empower the very hands behind them, the Santhal women and other marginalised communities in the area.

With the support of their NGO, Art Illuminates Mankind (AIM), the duo bought land and began building from scratch. There was no electricity, no roads, and little trust from locals. “The women were mostly daily wage labourers, not artisans,” Sonali recalls. “Convincing them that their hands could create something beautiful and valuable was the biggest challenge.”

The road to gaining the trust of the tribal women was not at all easy. Some of them even refused to let us in their courtyards. “We had to regularly visit the villages and even do door-to-door demonstrations of how working with us will benefit them. Additionally, we explained to the women how they could earn their own money and that actually appealed to a lot of them.”

© The Better India