Grassroots Options

Grassroots Options is a media initiative of a group of working journalists in the North-eastern region of India. According to its initiators, it was established as a means of creating space to discuss and give voice to opinions on environmental and development issues in this remote region of biodiversity, traditional cultures, and small-scale communities. "The magazine mainly focuses on three key areas - people, environment, and development - in Northeast India, and its neighbouring Eastern Himalayan and Asian region that share unique geo-political history and socio-cultural affinities."

The online publication features news articles on local development-related issues, for example, Meghalaya tribal organisations taking issue on land use agreements with an international cement producer. It has an "Earth Watch" column, a dialogue section of interview and commentary, and an events posting section. Its features section focuses on local culture and tradition; for example, three recent topics are the folk belief of a mysterious tiger world - Ramia; the 'Lost Tribe' of Israel, Maneshe; and Thlen, a mythical figure. Its opinion section includes perspectives on local traditions and change, for example, the Khasi social custom of matrilineal kinship lineage-continuity.

The magazine, begun in 1994, has shifted from a paper to an online edition, ending its paper publication with the spring 2005 edition.