Reetika Revathy Subramanian

I'm the founder and host of the Climate Brides podcast, which brings to you a series of conversations on early and forced marriages, and the climate crisis in South Asia. The project is supported by the University of Cambridge Public Engagement Starter Fund.

In collaboration with illustrator Maitri Dore, I undertook research and wrote the text for 'Raindrop in the Drought: Godavari Dange'. The multilingual comic book (English, Marathi, Hindi, Telugu and Urdu) was published by Goethe-Institut Indonesian under its 'Movements and Moments: Feminists Generation' project in 2021.

I have co-authored a chapter on the work and living conditions of Odia migrant workers in India's textile capital, Surat City. The chapter is titled 'From Fibre to Fabric: Everyday Confrontations with Disaster, Danger & Death by Odia Loom Workers in Surat City' (p.79).

This ethnographic study documents how Dawoodi Bohras talk about female genital cutting and their attitude towards public debates in support of or against it. The research was supported by Mumkin LLP and Grand Challenges Canada.

Using key insights from our comic book 'Raindrop in the Drought', I co-authored this article with Maitri Dore on gender, climate, and sustainable agricultural practices in rural India.

Every year, in drought-affected Dharur taluka of Marathwada, apple sellers, cane cutters, students, and chemists, take to an IPL-styled cricket tournament--Dharur Premier League--to find a momentary escape from disaster and distress. I spoke to some of the players and franchise owners for this story.

An excerpt from our chapter 'From Fibre to Fabric: Everyday Confrontations with Disaster, Danger and Death by Odia Loom Workers in Surat City' published in the sixth edition of the India Exclusion Report 2020.

The COVID-19 lockdown has reportedly led to a surge in child marriages across India. In this article (republished from my blogpost), I draw from experiences of past global climate disasters to understand why it's important to treat the cause, and not just the symptom of this invisible pandemic.

The COVID-19 lockdown has reportedly led to a surge in child marriages across India. In this blog post, I draw from experiences of past global climate disasters to understand why it's important to treat the cause, and not just the symptom of this invisible pandemic. 

The Ministry of Women and Child Development is currently considering to raise the legal age at marriage for females from 18 to 21 years. While the move is being publicly lauded as "progressive" and "empowering", there's much more to it than what meets the eye. Particularly, as India continues to see a spike in child marriage cases during the pandemic. I spoke to child rights activists, advocates and frontline workers to dig deeper.

Co-author. This report by Aajeevika Bureau examines the causes, nature and extent of migrant workers’ exclusion from urban services, and provides policy recommendations to remedy the same. The study was conducted during the pre-COVID 19 period in two major Indian cities: Ahmedabad and Surat.

Women from Odisha who work from home for the multi-crore textile industry in Surat, Gujarat, are not covered by labour laws, are unable to negotiate better rates, and are seen as unskilled workers. I write for @PARInetwork

Nearly 10,000 Adivasi labourers from Rajasthan's Udaipur district, migrate to work around the world in the food-processing & catering industry. The job brings with it dangers of bondage, accidents & death. Years after, few are breaking the silence.

Around 8 lakh workers from Odisha, after strenuous shifts in Surat’s powerlooms, stay in rotation in crowded rooms, amid power cuts, scarce water, filth and noise. Illnesses are common, as are stress and alcoholism.

Apart from the uphill task of adjusting to a resettlement colony located several kilometres away from their former homes, women from infrastructure project-affected families in Mumbai bear the risk of losing their jobs and sources of income. I explore their everyday struggles.