EVI
REFLECTIONS
ECO MEDIA PRACTITIONERS SPEAK
FROM THE DESK OF NATIONAL CONVENER
After Madurai and Bhuj consultations with our founder partners, I feel that this is right time to rejuvenate our ideas and thoughts to gather our collective strength to march forward towards, Eco vision Indica (EVI) objectives and the pathways of making this world better than what it is today.
If our thoughts and even our small efforts workout well in form of a right way to think, to make the beginning for the ultimate realisation, it may one day lead to a big change. Transformative Eco Thoughts are possible not only with scientific and technological interventions, but also with administration, politics, economies, mobilities, policies and public attitudes. The power and leadership of our clusters of experts can be primarily focused upon the lacunae at local level to create and lay down strong messages for protecting local ecological resources. Therefore, Eco interventions, solutions, pathways should be localized. This is a positive strength of EVI to support and be in action at local levels.
Therefore, on behalf of EVI, keeping all the above in mind, I propose for Policy Advancement Support at the Local Levels (PLL). Such an advisory support can be developed and drafted through local EVI members with National Experts Panel and Invited Specialists on the subjects involved. A five-member panel could be working for the drafting and development. The local members would be suggesting the key policy issues and National Policy Experts would be working for integrating it into comprehensive solutions and pathways for actions.
This Policy and Pathfinder Document (may also think to name it as Policy, Advocacy and Pathfinder Document) may be released locally and handed over to interconnected departments of Governments and NGOs. Environment and Social Activists, Policy Action Groups, Public in General may be well informed and they will be stakeholders of the policies and watchdogs. In the smart city development, the activist groups have already started to protest to not to damage river in the name of laying roads on the banks. But for them there is no technical policy support. The same situation arises when trees on the road are cut down for putting up bus stop shelters and electric posts.
I invite members visions and views on this subjects through expansion of this thread for next action course. The possible big moves of the EVI are with the Action Leaders to draft Vision, Policy & Communicative action components on Protection, Conservation, and Local Ecological Issues. These EVI Guidelines will be central point for putting ecology first by Media skilled, Enviro-Socio Motivational Leaders who abide by the Constitution of India, the Law of the Land and believe in knowledge driven, creative and constructive spirit, and harmonious co existence.
When we go these places, we may release and hand over the EVI Framework, Policy & Guidelines for Action to the appropriate forum in person.
I wish all the very best to everyone viewing the EVI Website!
– Prof S Nagarathinam
A NOTE FROM CHIEF ADVISING MENTOR
This is a very special note I could have written in my lifetime. Here is a not so grandiose plan, but simply earnest and compelling. I think it is one whose golden hour has just come. Of─course, I see it rooted in the swift progress made by Eco Visioning Forum, Madurai, also in my experiments with Antah Kranti eco theatre, eco creatives movement “Sanjeevani Sanskriti”, and also in the scope for betterment emerging with world movements like Deep Ecology by Naess A. I find that the latter would hold much meaning and utility if they majorly factored in the recognition of eco cultural existence of ours. Placing the individual only in natural and parts of nature context, is gross underestimation of the divine eco creative potential of ours. India has had profound and world dominating eco cultural vision which now needs to be rejuvenated and made timely with scientific enrichment─ hence the call, ” Eco─vision Indica!”.
It is with this collective aspiration of our co travellers that it was announced, after the book “Exploring Eco Media, Raising Scientific Temper” was unveiled in Bhuj. The book chronicles the journey and practices of emerging leaders in eco media practice in India. It concludes with seven ‘Platform Principles of Eco Cultural Transformation’ which are behind the collective and progressive thought processes now embodied as Eco vision Indica. I am also very open and intently look up to further evolution of those 7 principles listed in the website. I hope that it does happen with time and participation by others joining this platform. As a practitioner with expertise in cultural & media domains, EVI fraternity may like to advance and contribute to eco cultural theories of communication, and with your scholastic research background may also like to enrich eco media practices. EVI being a platform/network would look up to regional outlooks in these terms, as purely honorary & voluntary contributions. The contributions shall be much valued as they help develop policy support guidelines for conservation of natural heritage, re-patterning of eco-cultural heritage, making of eco cultural heritage by our youth, and so on. You are welcome to co travel and figure out as to how you can generate a youth voice, policy support, and advisory level articulation of eco media practices. Every single practitioner weighs in mightily in this journey, and is harbinger of great learning and service to humanity. Being independent of government support, EVI symbolises all other collaborative modes of meeting of eco minds!
Finally, with profound regard to our advisers, mentors, regional resource leads, fellows and members, I would remind our co travellers of FD Roosevelt’s ‘Man in the Arena’: ” It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
– Dr. Pamposh Kumar
.png)
From my experience through the work of water bodies lakes and rivers as part of restoration rejuvenation and beautification we have seen that the local administration, though they are with us, has very little in their hands primarily because many of the policies and laws are very generic. We really do not have specific guidelines for interventions at local level.
We need to formulate a strategy for local level interventions so that we are heard. I mean at least we can create a platform which is voicing informed opinions and is ready to give informed solutions. Your suggestion of Ecovision Indica ( EVI ) would be the answer. We need to brainstorm and ideate appropriately so that it is a platform that has the right structure. Whenever there is a natural resource that has to be protected and conserved, the rule book / a regulation is citied. In so many cases as we know that rule book itself is not elaborate and at local level we are unable to protect and intervene, isn’t it! I have seen that the town planning authority plays an important role. Currently all our different policies for water and environment are not integrated into the town planning regulations at district level and Town level. And whenever any permission for developing it is needed the proposal goes to the District Collector then to the planning department for their remarks. Here is where the confusion lies. So, despite of our national laws, the application becomes subjective. I here add an important observation that at the local level, several policies are neither defined nor integrated in the local byelaws i.e. in the DCR Rule book (development control regulations), and therefore surely, we need such policy interventions. The DCR rule book of Mumbai or any town does not even have the inventory of all the natural resources of the place. Such an inventory was made in Mumbai by the Society of the Mumbai Regional Planning Authority but still the local authority i.e. the Mumbai Municipal corporation is not able to accept it, in my opinion, as it is not part of the DCR. Myself and my team at Grassroots Foundation are fully willing to work towards this cause.
– Dr. Pallavi Latkar, Founding Member, EVI
.png)
