Blog
Have been wanting to write this since my return last week after attending the National Symposium at the Jeevika Ashram at the Indrana Village in Jabalpur district, Madhya Pradesh.
Traditionally called the MahaKoshal region, it hosts some amazing diversity in terms of tribal arts, crafts and culture. This place like everywhere else in India is under "development" pangs, with expressways and highway dhabas distanced several centuries between them and the villages on the side of the highways.
Ashish ji house created this beautiful little ashram in this midst that displays tribal art forms, has…
Notes from the National Conference on Defining Future Pathways for AgroEcology Research at the National Level in India
16 – 18 Nov 2023, IRMA, Gujarat
Reflection
When I initially agreed to participate in this Conference and even write a paper for the same, I was still in my US tour where I could quickly put together an Abstract of an idea over couple of mails with my two co-authors, the busy schedule after my return ensured that I could not really spend time to develop the paper, the strange monsoon viral fever followed by a dental surgery meant I was uncertain about my…
When I spoke to the Magsaysay Award Winner and Gandhian Tribal Land Rights Activist, Sri. P.V. Rajagopal, on the 15th of Oct at Madurai about creating a network of Indigenous Entrepreneurs in India and designing exclusive capacity building programmes for them that will bring in conservation linked livelihoods building as its core and ensure that the cosmo-vision of the Indigenous community forms the basis of its livelihoods activity, he immediate agreed that such a network will be extremely useful, in the post-FRA land rights given to tribal community members across India. He invited me to…
Every year for several years now I have been reading the same text and recording my own inference and understanding. Ven. Samdhong Rimpoche, called Hind Swaraj as a 'moola grantha' and a document that he places above that of the Dhammapada today. He is one of the many thinkers, activists and scholars that inspired me who have been inspired by the amazing text of Gandhi more than a 110 yrs ago.
Written in both hands by the omnidextrous young political thinker, in a sailing ship, between London and South Africa, provoked by the encounter by several hues of ideologies, including the…
The Bhoomi College, Bangaluru and Samanvaya got together to launch a Green Economy course on 27th Sept 2023. The course spread over 8 on-line classes and a camp is the first time that such a course has been offered as a collaboration.
The programme was specifically designed with government officials, CSR executives, corporate professionals in mind and the course is being offered especially for decision makers to equip them with critical perspective and serious development model drawn from Indian case studies and Gandhian ideas.
In August this year, Samanvaya signed an MoU with the College of Atlantic, Maine, USA to launch the semester long course on Gandhian Economics and Green Entrepreneurship during the fall of 2023. Spread over 10 weeks, this course, partly offered by Ram while he is in USA, in person, will be followed subsequently virtually.
The course has students from 4 continents, 8 nationalities and diverse genders. It is wonderful to find their interest in Gandhian thought and economic ideas. The beautiful campus of the College of Atlantic provides for a creative setting in which all the…