Good News: A Win for Blind Indian Cricket, Sikkim's Green Revolution, and More
Heartwarming, world-shaking, awe-inspiring and straight-up happy-making reasons to smile
A Win for Indian Blind Cricket
Just weeks after the Indian Women’s Cricket Team lifted the ICC Women’s World Cup in November, Indian cricket had yet another reason to celebrate. On 23 November 2025, the Indian blind women’s cricket team won the inaugural T20 Women’s Cricket World Cup for the Blind in Colombo, Sri Lanka, defeating Nepal by seven wickets. Blind cricket is played with a plastic ball filled with metallic bearings so it can be heard. Teams include players from three categories—B1, B2 and B3. Batters in the B1 (fully blind) category use runners, and every run they score counts as double. The 16-member India team, drawn largely from villages and small towns, went unbeaten through the tournament, overcoming Sri Lanka, Nepal, Australia, the United States and Pakistan, before besting Australia again in the semi-final.
Sikkim’s Green Revolution
High in the Himalayas, the tiny state of Sikkim decided to do something bold. Instead of chasing quick harvests with chemical fertilizers, it chose a slower path: going 100 per cent organic. The journey began in 2003, with training, model villages and support for farmer groups to get certified together. For many, the shift hasn’t been perfect—young people still drift from farming, food still comes in from outside—but the land is breathing easier. Bees are returning, mountain soil is richer and local vegetables are once again a matter of pride at the dinner table.
A Win for Wild Oceans
For decades, the high seas—waters beyond any one country’s control—were the ocean’s lawless frontier. That changed last year, when the Global Ocean Treaty crossed the ratification finish line. With around 70 countries on board, well above the required 60, the agreement is now set to become international law in 2026. The treaty gives governments the legal tools to protect...
A Win for Indian Blind Cricket
Just weeks after the Indian Women’s Cricket Team lifted the ICC Women’s World Cup in November, Indian cricket had yet another reason to celebrate. On 23 November 2025, the Indian blind women’s cricket team won the inaugural T20 Women’s Cricket World Cup for the Blind in Colombo, Sri Lanka, defeating Nepal by seven wickets. Blind cricket is played with a plastic ball filled with metallic bearings so it can be heard. Teams include players from three categories—B1, B2 and B3. Batters in the B1 (fully blind) category use runners, and every run they score counts as double. The 16-member India team, drawn largely from villages and small towns, went unbeaten through the tournament, overcoming Sri Lanka, Nepal, Australia, the United States and Pakistan, before besting Australia again in the semi-final.
Sikkim’s Green Revolution
High in the Himalayas, the tiny state of Sikkim decided to do something bold. Instead of chasing quick harvests with chemical fertilizers, it chose a slower path: going 100 per cent organic. The journey began in 2003, with training, model villages and support for farmer groups to get certified together. For many, the shift hasn’t been perfect—young people still drift from farming, food still comes in from outside—but the land is breathing easier. Bees are returning, mountain soil is richer and local vegetables are once again a matter of pride at the dinner table.
A Win for Wild Oceans
For decades, the high seas—waters beyond any one country’s control—were the ocean’s lawless frontier. That changed last year, when the Global Ocean Treaty crossed the ratification finish line. With around 70 countries on board, well above the required 60, the agreement is now set to become international law in 2026. The treaty gives governments the legal tools to protect marine life in international waters, where only about one per cent is currently safeguarded. Environmental groups say this could unlock the largest network of ocean sanctuaries the world has ever seen. Heavyweights like Iceland, Brazil and Japan signed on, while others are still catching up. Conservationists have called it a once-in-a-generation breakthrough—proof that global cooperation is still possible when the stakes are high and the planet is watching.
Coal Company Heeds Rural Women on Air Pollution
In a rare alignment between corporate action and community voices, a participatory study led by grassroots women identified 26 air pollution hotspots in Jharkhand’s coal-rich Bokaro and Dhanbad districts—prompting Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) to take corrective steps. Published in the Canadian Journal of Action Research in March 2025, the study was conducted by Neha Saigal and Saumya Shrivastava of Asar Social Impact Advisors, alongside 10 paryavaran sakhis (women environmental stewards), with participation from 200 community members. Conducted in three phases, the research first monitored air quality at 69 rural sites using portable AQI monitors, narrowing these down to 26 hotspots. Over 80 per cent of participants reported ailments linked to poor air quality. Following publication and discussions with coal unions, including CCL, visible changes followed. Coal is now covered with tarpaulin during transport, water sprinklers have been installed on truck routes, AQI monitors placed at key locations, and roads are swept regularly—small steps, perhaps, but meaningful ones.
Record-Setting Renewables
Despite political noise, clean energy had a banner year. In 2025, electricity from renewable energy, specifically solar and wind, officially overtook coal worldwide for the first time in recorded data—a symbolic and practical milestone. Analysts say it marks an early but important turning point in how the world powers itself. Solar energy, once a niche option, now supplies close to one-tenth of global electricity, helped by a dramatic fall in costs of 80 to 90 per cent over the past decade. China alone has multiplied its solar output many times over. Even as sceptical voices dismissed green power on global stages, investment told a different story, rising steadily through the year. The takeaway? The energy transition is no longer a future plan—it is already happening, turbine by turbine and panel by panel.
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