Trust India’s “village republics” to bring in some good news from time to time – Kerala, Rajasthan & Tamil Nadu

In an atmosphere where every morning, our newspapers greet us with stories of girls being tormented, raped, killed or treated like a doormat in one way or another, trust India’s “village republics” to bring in some good news from time to time. One such village in southern Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district is quietly practicing its own, homegrown brand of Eco-feminism and achieving spectacular results. | To read the full article, click here >>

Source: “A village that plants 111 trees for every girl born in Rajasthan” by Mahim Pratap Singh, The Hindu, 11 April 2013
Address: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/a-village-that-plants-111-trees-for-every-girl-born-in-rajasthan/article4606735.ece
Date Visited: Sun Sep 11 2016 10:31:36 GMT+0200 (CEST)

How much does biodiversity matter to climate change? The ecosystems of the land and ocean absorb around half our our planet warming emissions. But these are being destroyed by human activity. At the same time, climate change is a primary driver of the destruction of these habitats and biodiversity loss. If biodiversity is our strongest natural defence against climate change (as it’s been described), what’s stopping us from doing more to protect it? | For up-to-date reports listen to The Climate Question (BBC) | United Nations on climate change >>

“The British established mode of forest governance imposed restrictions on local forest-dwelling communities. In 1860, the Company withdrew all access rights for using the forests (food, fuel, medicine and selling forest products) since the forests and forest-dwelling communities provided refuge to the rebels during the Sepoy Mutiny.” – Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation >>

“Tribal population was spread all over India and most of them occupied wild tracts, hilly and forested areas, away from more civilized centers. In 1880 their population was estimated at about seventy million. They had existed for centuries with their own social traditions and beliefs and subsisted on natural resources. They had preserved their near isolation and way of life until the British administration and policies made inroads into their territories.” – Subha Johari in Tribal Dissatisfaction Under Colonial Economy of 19th Century >>

“Tribal communities have proven that they are the best guardians of the forest and die-hard conservationists”: Illegal mining destroys the life and culture of the conservators of forests >>

“Even though they are responsible for protecting the largest part of the global forest heritage […] a third of indigenous and community lands in 64 countries are under threat due to the lack of land tenure rights.” – Pressenza Rio de Janerio in “Indigenous people are heading to CoP26: ‘There is no solution to the climate crisis, without us’” (Down To Earth, 1 November 2021) >>

“Two main streams within Indian anthropology influenced the literary and visual representations of tribes by mainstream writers, artists and film-makers.” – Dr. Ivy Hansdak clarifies how they are associated with “assimilationist” and “isolationist” positions or policies >>

In Marginalised but not Defeated, Tarun Kanti Bose (a seasoned public interest journalist) “documents the hard and difficult struggle to implement the Forest Rights Act, how the oppressed adivasis have united into forest unions, how they are now entering into new thresholds of protracted struggles and victories in a non-violent manner.” | Learn more: https://countercurrents.org/2023/05/book-review-marginalised-but-not-defeated >>

“Tribal men and women mix freely, but with respect for each other [but] caste Hindu society in India is so convinced of its own superiority that it never stops to consider the nature of social organisation among tribal people. In fact it is one of the signs of the ‘educated’ barbarian of today that he cannot appreciate the qualities of people in any way different from himself – in looks or clothes, customs or rituals.” – Guest Column in India Today >>

Learn more about colonial policies, the Forest Rights Act, its importance for ecology, biodiversity, ethnobotany and nutrition, and about the usage of Adivasi (Adibasi) communities in different states of India: in legal and historical records, in textbooks, scholarly papers and the media >>

“Cover Your Country” by PARI: Rural people speak about their lives through photos, narratives, film, and audio materials >>

Video | “I saw women working 90 per cent of the time. They did backbreaking jobs for which you need an erect spine,” says P. Sainath in Visible Work, Invisible Women: Bricks, coal and stone | RuralIndiaOnline.org >>

In Marginalised but not Defeated, Tarun Kanti Bose (a seasoned public interest journalist) asserts that “the mainstream development paradigm is being questioned and new rainbows of collective, community reassertions are happening across the tribal belt in India. More so, in most cases, led by brave, empowered and resilient women.” | Learn more: https://countercurrents.org/2023/05/book-review-marginalised-but-not-defeated >>

“In less than 200 years, photography has gone from an expensive, complex process to an ordinary part of everyday life. From selfies to satellites, most of the technology we use and spaces we inhabit rely on cameras. […] While photographic documentation can aid in shaping history, it can also be a window into the horrors of the past.” – Read more or listen to Butterfly Effect 9 – The Camera on CBC Radio Spark 26 May 2023 >>

75 per cent of the population did not make news. […] We need peoples’ movements around Health Justice, Food Justice, and more – some inspiring ones already exist, but are marginalised in corporate media coverage.

Source: “We Didn’t Bleed Him Enough”: When Normal is the Problem by P. Sainath (founder of PARI “People’s Archive of Rural India”), Counterpunch.org, 12 August 2020 (first published in Frontline magazine)
URL: https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/08/12/we-didnt-bleed-him-enough-when-normal-is-the-problem/
Date visited: 15 April 2021

Every spring, as the snow begins to melt in the mountains, the nomadic tribe of Van Gujjars embarks on an epic journey in search of the best pastures for their buffaloes. Here is the story of this peaceful, forest dwelling tribe and their journey across high plains, treacherous passes and picturesque Himalayan valleys.

Source: “Nomads of the Himalayas : A Fascinating Glimpse into the Rarely-Seen Forest World of the Van Gujjars” by Sanchari Pal, The Better India, 3 September 2016
Address: https://www.thebetterindia.com/67099/van-gujjars-himalayas-tribe-buffaloes/
Date Visited: Sun Sep 11 2016 11:29:39 GMT+0200 (CEST)

UNESCO adds India’s Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve to its list of perfect biospheres. Here’s why.

Tribal settlements within the reserve rely on the forests and its 14 rivers for their livelihood. Kanikkarans, the area’s indigenous tribe, rely on agriculture, fishing and hunting. They live in huts made of bamboo and are known for medicinal healing through plants. However, while most of them have moved out of forests, there is still a small population that lives around the Agasthyamala region. To promote sustainability, several programs have been setup to reduce the 3000-strong tribal population from using up all the resources, according to the UNESCO. Some of them also take up employment with the government as guides for tourists coming to the sanctuaries.

Source: “Agasthyamala Part of UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve Network” by Neeti Vijaykumar, The Better India, March 21, 2016
Address: https://www.thebetterindia.com/49714/agasthyamala-unesco-biosphere-reserve-network/
Date Visited: Sun Sep 11 2016 11:34:15 GMT+0200 (CEST)

The “Save Bees and Farmers!” European Citizens’ Initiative alliance is a growing network of currently over 140 environmental NGOs, farmer and beekeeper organisations, charitable foundations and scientific institutions distributed throughout the European Union, working together to reconcile agriculture, health and biodiversity.

Source: The “Save Bees and Farmers!” European Citizens’ Initiative
URL: https://www.savebeesandfarmers.eu/eng/about-us/
Date visited: 4 August 2020

Eco-feminism drive wins accolades

Piplantri has turned almost into an oasis and it is surrounded by a large number of trees. “My daughter is seven years now. I have seen these trees and my daughter grow up together. Initially, not all villagers agreed to follow the idea of planting 111 saplings. Now, it’s no less than any ritual in our village,” said Shantu Bhil, a tribal from Piplantri village.
Another resident of Piplantri village said that it was for the first time he decided to bring up his daughter just like a son. Despite being a school teacher he never sent his daughter to a school.

Source: “Eco-feminism drive wins accolades” by Abhishek Gaur, Deccan Herald, April 5, 2015
Address: https://www.deccanherald.com/content/469775/eco-feminism-drive-wins-accolades.html
Date Visited: Sun Sep 11 2016 11:00:20 GMT+0200 (CEST)

The good earth: “Women to the fore”

Eco-feminism is very much alive in India. Look at the women of Bhopal who continue to seek justice. Look at the resurgence of women’s bio-diversity movements. Look at the movement that Mayilamma started to shut down the Coca-Cola plant in Plachimada. Look at Munni Hansda’s resistance to a coal plant in Jharkhand. Navdanya is a women-centred movement. It is based on an eco-feminist philosophy, it has a women’s leadership and it focusses on women’s seed and food sovereignty. Because of the division of labour, which has left the sustenance economy to women, and because women of the Third World are the primary producers of food and water, when they disappear, it is women who rise. But ecological destruction should be everyone’s concern; after all our lives depend on Nature and ecology.

Dr. VANDANA SHIVA
Environmentalist and Founder Navdanya, New Delhi

DEEPA ALEXANDER, The Hindu, October 27, 2009

Climate change is one of the greatest geopolitical issues of our time. It can deplete food and water supplies, provoke conflict and migration, destabilise fragile societies and threaten markets. From Rachel Carson who first raisedawareness on industrial chemicals to Nobel Peace laureate Wangari Maathai and the nameless women of the Chipko movement, the story of environmentalism is the story of women up against the odds. We spoke to womenenvironmentalists about what should be done to preserve the planet. | To read the full article, click here >>

Women to the fore

Eco-feminism is very much alive in India.

Consult and implement

The Indian Forest Service continues to draw many women, though it is only in the last two decades that the inherent relationship between women and Nature has been recognised and explored. This has mainstreamed into our forest and environmental policies. Relocation of tribal populations, when not properly conceptualised or implemented evolves into displacement, and this affects women intensely. Their coping strategies lose relevance in new surroundings, rendering the women more vulnerable. More than the issues of population growth and expansion, it is the growing disparity in the distribution and ownership of wealth that derails conservation. A well-entrenched consultative process among the stakeholders could probably be the first step that could be thought of, although we need to back this up with some locale specific innovative projects.

JAYANTHI MURALI, IFS
Head of Division State Planning Commission, Chennai

Source: The good earth – CHEN – The Hindu
Address: https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/the-good-earth/article644659.ece
Date Visited: Sun Sep 11 2016 11:03:18 GMT+0200 (CEST)

Ecotourism in and around forest areas is fast emerging as a major sustainable tourism activity, thanks to Kerala State Forest Development Agency’s (KSFDA) successful `community management’ initiatives at existing destinations, identification of new spots, tourists’ preference for wild and pristine locations and an increased plan fund allocation. Noting the visits of 35 40 lakh tourists which include around 7 lakh foreigners at the 45 destinations, now managed by Vana Samrakshana Samitis or eco-development committees, forest department officials said that their preference has shifted from beaches and backwaters to wildlife and forest destinations.

“Ecotourism projects in forest areas have to be non-consumptive (use of nature) with limited facilities and restricted tourist inflow. The focus is on sustainable tourism with the participation of dependent tribal communities. The community management of these existing locations has been a great success, benefitting 4,500 families,” said additional principal chief conservator of forests K J Varghese. […]

Source: “Ecotourism charts a revival course” by Salim Joseph, Times of India, Thiruvananthapuram, 22 March 2016
Address: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Ecotourism-charts-a-revival-course/articleshow/51512495.cms
Date Visited: 26 August 2020

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