Reclaiming our home

Independence Day arrived with a whole lot of hope this year, and I was geared to take a lazy 8-day vacation in the Himalayas, part of which was to be spent hosted in a mud house created by our beloved teacher Saumya Kulshreshtha. It was meant to be a weekend of deep self-reflection, surrounded by minds, words and matter.

But in a cruel twist of fate, we were alarmed by the devastation in the Himalayas, and fear crept up to break apart our mountain holiday.

I was upset, but mainly curious to know what was causing this destruction in the place we visit periodically in search of peace. The place that offers us uninterrupted calm, welcomes us with love and resounds with laughter.

In my search, I came across this video which led me to rethink what travel, development and infrastructure means to us today, the impact it has on the culture & communities that reside in these sought after destinations, rethinking what it means to really appreciate these pockets of wilderness.

Somehow, we have come to think that great, grand structures built on indigenous land, destroying the essence of communities, is the necessity for comfortable travel. In reality, it is the capitalist autonomy that big money makers seek.

This is part of the deeply rooted ecological and environmental predicaments that Vandana Shiva, one of the strongest environmentalist & socialist voices from India today, investigates in her work.

Vandana, who left her studies in the west to pursue research in local communities, came back to the valleys to uphold this need for radical change.

In conversation with Maddy Harland, she makes this radical observation,

?? ?????? ???????????????? ???? ?????? ???????????? ???????????????? (??????????) ?????? ???????? ?????????????? ???????????????? ???? ?????????? ???? ???? ???????????? ?????? ????????, “????’???? ?????????? ???? ?????? ?????? ??????????. ???? ???????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?????????????? ?????? ?????????????????? ???????????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ???????????? ?????? ???????????????????? ?????? ??????????????.” ?????? ???????? ?????????????? ??????????'?? ????????????????. ?????? ?????? ???? ?????????? ?? ?????????????????????? ???????? ????????, ?????? ?? ???????? (????????) ?????????? ?????? ?????????????????? ?????????? ???? ?????? ????????????, ???? ?????? ?????????? ???? ?????? ????????????. ???????? ???????????? ???? ?????????? ???? ???????? ???? ??????????????????. ?????? ???? ?????? ???????? ???? ???????????????? ?? ?? ???????? ?????????? ???? ???????????? ???????? ?????? ????????, ?????????????????? ???????? ???????? ???? ???????????????????? ??????????????, ?????????? ???????? ?????? ?????????? ???????????? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????????? ???????????? (?????? ???????????????????????? ???????? ??????????????????????????). ?????? ???????? ?? ???????? ???? ????????, ?? ?????? ???????? ?????????? ???? ???????????????????? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ?????? ???????????? ???? ???????????? ???? ???? ??????????????, ???? ?????? ???????????? ???? ???????????????????? ???????????????? ???? ??????????????????????. ???? ?? ???????????????? ???????? ?????????????????? ???? ????????????????. ?????? ?? ????????????????, ???????? ?? ?????? ?????????????? ???????? ???? ?????????????????????? ???????????????? ???? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ???? ???????????? ???? ???? ???????????? ??????, ?????? ???????? ???????????? ??????????????, ?????? ?? ???????? ???????????? ???????????? ???????? ???????????????????? ???? ?????????????????????????? ??????????????, ?????????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ???? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ?????????? ?????? ???????????????? ????????????. ???? ?? ???????????????? ???????? ?? ?????? ???? ???????????????? ???? ???????? ???? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ?????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????? ???????????????? ???? ??????????. ?? ???????? ?????????????? ??'?? ???? ?? ?????????????????? ??????????????.

Somehow, my discovery of Vandana and her work feels like a play of destiny. A long list of conversations that I have had before and after listening to her first interview, have led me to the movement she has cultivated over the years.

One of them was with Ayra's mom & the creator of Ayra Farms, a unique farm stay nestled in a village called Guhagar. Noopur, who was a chef settled abroad, happened to stay with her parents in their ancestral land during COVID-19. There, she discovered that there couldn't be anything better than this village, on this farm her parent's built, living with nature, that was better for her then newborn daughter.

Later, she opened up her house to visitors who are looking for a way to experience this life, untouched by the chaotic complexities of metropolitan cities.

I found this conversation to be closely related to this remark Vandana made in her conversation with the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) -

(??????) ?????????????????? ???? ??????????, ?????????? ?????? ???????????????? ???????????? - ???????? ?????? ?????? ???? ???????????? ?????????? ?????????????? ?????? ?????? ???????????? ???? ????????. ????????'?? ?????? ???? ???????? ???????? ???? ?????? ?????????? ??????????????. ???? ????'?? ?????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ?????????? ???????????? ???????? ?????????? ?????????? ???????????????????????? ?????? ??????????????????????????, ?????????????????????????? ?????????? ???? ??????????????. ?????? ?????????????????????????? ?????????? ???????????????????? ???? ?????????????????????? ???? ??????????????????????, ???? ????????????????, ???? ??????????????????, ?????????? ???????? ???????? ???????????? ???????? ?????????? ????????, ???????????? ?????? ?????? ???????????????????????? ?????? ?????????? ???? ?????????????????????????? ??????????. ?????? ???? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????? ???????? ???????????????? ???? ?????? ???????????? ???? ???????????????????? ????????????????.

Vandana has dedicated her life to the advocacy of these ideals. Her Navdanya foundation works directly for fostering these ideals. She also founded the Earth University or Bija Vidyapeeth, where seekers can study under her influence and gain knowledge about the earth, our ecology and the agricultural systems.

We have been led to believe that the earth doesn't have enough to keep us happy, Therefore, we must straddle with it, civilise it, change it to fit into our perception of a money-making machine.

??'???? ???????????????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ?? ?????????? ?????????????????? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ???????? ???? ???????? ???????? ???????????? ?????????????? ????????????????. (????????) ?????????????????? ?????? ?????????????? ???????????? ???? ?????? ???????? ???? ????????????…. ???? ?? ?????????? ????, ???? ?????????? ????????????, ?????? ?????????? ???? ?? ???????????? ????????????. ???????? ???????????? ???? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????? ???????????????????? ????????????….?????????????? ???? ?????????????????? ???? ???????? ?????? ??????'?? ???????????????? ????. ?????? ?????? ???????????? ???? ?????? ???????????? ???? ???????????????? ???????????????????????? ?????? ????????'?? ?????????? ?????? ?????????????????? ?????????? ????????. ???? ?????? ???????????????????? ?????????????? ?????? ?????? ???????????? ???? ????????????????, ?????? ?????? ?????????????????? ???????? ???? ?????????????????????? ?????? ????????????’ ?????????????????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ?????????? ????????????????. ?????????????? ???????????? ???????? ?? ???????????? ????????, ???????????? ???????? ?????? ???????????? ???????? ?????? ???????????????????????? ????. ?????? ???????????? ???? ???????????? ??????????????????????, ???????????????? ?????? ???????????? ??????????????????, ???????????????? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ?????????????????????????? ???? ???????????? ?????? ?????????? ??????????????????.

Human beings, especially colonisers, believe that indigenous communities need to be civilised. We find our purpose in changing the authentic form of culture and community to mould it into our system of mechanical creation.

As observed by Vandana in her book Oneness vs. the 1%, this is an attempt by the high-earning members of our society to create capital for their growth, and leave little for anyone else to consume.

Vandana urges for a cultural shift that will help us choose rejuvenation as opposed to the path of extinction that will erase all other species, and thereby ourselves.

?????? ?????????? ???????????? ?????? ????????????????????, ?????? ?????????? ???????????? ?????? ??????-??????????????, ?????? ?????????? ???????????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ?????? ????????????. ?????? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????????????? (???? ????) ???? ???????? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????????? ?????? ???????????????????????? ???? ?????????? ?????????????????? ???? ???? ???????? ???? ???????????????? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ?????? ????????. ???????? ???? ?????????????? ???? ?????? ???????????????? ???????????????????? ???? ?? ?????????? ?????????????? ????????????. (??????) ?????????? ?????????? ???????? ????????????????????????, ?????????? ?????????? ???????? ????????????????????, ???? ?? ?????????? ?????????? ????????????, ??????????????????????????, ???????????? ???????????? ??????. ???? ???????? ???? ?????????? ???????? ???????????????????? ????????????. ???? ???????? ???? ?????????? ???????? ??????????, ?????? ???? ?????? ???????????? ?????????????????? ???????? ???? ?????? ?????????????? ?????? ??????????. ?

Vandana learnt everything from Earth, by rejecting the academic compulsion to create for the system, she went back to her roots and co-created with the Earth.

She let her love for nature lead her to nurture its growth.

Still, despite the obvious proof, we consistently move away from the intelligence of indigenous fraternities, the wisdom of women who have grown food for their societies over ages and the calling of the Earth.

?????????????? ?????? ?????????? ???? ??????????????????. ???? ???????????? ????????, ???? ???????? ?????????????? ?????????????????? ???????? ?????? ??????????????. ?????? ???????????????? ?????????????????? ?????????? ???? ?????? ???????????????????????? ???? ??????????????????. ?????? ???????????????????? ?????????????????? ???? ?????? ?????????? ???? ?? ?????? ????????????????????????, ???????????? ?????? ?????????? ?????????????????? ?????? ?????????????? ??????????????????????, ????????????????????. ?????? ???????????????????? ?????????? ?????????????????? ????????????????????. ??????, ???????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????????? ???? ???????? ???????????????? ??????????????. ?????? ?? ??????, ???? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????? ????????.

Recently, while waiting for our taxi to reach Gokarna, a quaint temple town in Karnataka, I was left to thinking about this (Like i said, a kismat connection had really led me to Vandana's work) - After a hard week at work, when we are tired of visiting our concrete offices, churning out money for a system that doesn't benefit us, we long for nature.

We search for unknown trails, look up for a blue sky and enjoy the relief of the cold river waters. But we are leaving so little of them to be enjoyed. Why does this diabolical cycle of selfishness exist?

As her closing comment, Vandana remarks on the fundamental essence of life, that can and should be our guiding truth, "Life is exhaustless, renewal is it's very urge it's very purpose. And being part of it is then being part of the flow of Life the flow of joy."

To act as a reminder of her spirit and her principles, here is some further reading from Vandana's body of work -

Quotes from - Vandana Shiva in conversation with Maddy Harland and Vandana Shiva: How to decolonize the global economy | #GLFClimate 2021