We are here publishing the recording of a session of the Peace in Kurdistan Ecology Network entitled “Grassroots movements in India today, and ecological alternatives” held on 23 April 2023

The meeting will be introduced and chaired by Felix Padel an anthropologist and writer, and a public intellectual in India, though British. Well known for his work highlighting Adivasi movements, especially against imposed industrialisation by aluminium, steel and dam projects in Odisha. He has long been associated with Kurdish issues too.

We are delighted that Ashish Kothari will speak, focusing on ecological movements and initiatives. Ashish is a well known public intellectual in India on environmental and people’s rights issues. He is a founder member of “Kalpavriksh” that works on these issues, in Pune, Maharashtra and many other people’s movements. Taught, Indian Institute of Public Administration; coordinated India’s National Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan, served on boards of Greenpeace International & India, ICCA Consortium; judge on International Tribunal on Rights of Nature. Helps coordinate Vikalp Sangam (www.vikalpsangam.org), Global Tapestry of Alternatives (www.globaltapestryofalternatives.org), & Radical Ecological Democracy (www.radicalecologicaldemocracy.org). Co-author/co-editor, Churning the Earth, Alternative Futures, and Pluriverse: A Post-Development Dictionary

Hemant Dalpati is a young Adivasi teacher, writer and poet, living and working at a teacher’s training college in Chitrakonda, Southwest Odisha. He has been part of many Adivasi and nontribal movements. He is from the Gond community, India’s ‘largest tribe’, numbering about 5 million. The Gondi language has a claim to be among India’s most ancient languages, ‘grandfather’ to Tamil, so no less ancient than Sanskrit, though declining rapidly due to linguistic-genocidal policies of marginalising or banning tribal languages in most schools. Hemant’s participation is also a matter of delight, since Adivasi voices are too little heard internationally.

For more information contact Felix Padel: Felix Padel felishmr@gmail.com