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G O B A R
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 Hi folks,
Do you know how many castes the traditional Indian society was divided into? More than
40,000! And though I just used the past tense…the truth is… this system still
exists. Hey, are you wrinkling up your nose in disgust? Just let me explain.
You see, this ‘archaic’ caste system had a very interesting role to play in
managing India’s natural resources. How? It clearly marked out ‘ecological
spaces’ fordifferent people, depending on their occupation. So communities
living around the forests would use the resources in the ‘space’ allotted to
them; so would farmers living in the plains. Each managed their space wisely. Because they
knew that it won’t be snatched away by others. Also because they knew that if they
polluted and spoilt the land and water within their space, they would not be allowed to
use any other!
A pretty neat arrangement, right? Unfortunately, while the caste structure still exists,
this smart management system doess not. The powerful groups have slowly elbowed the weaker
ones out of their ecological space. Their resources have been destroyed or are being used
for some other purpose.
So what happens to the people who lose their space? Read
this issue of GT and find out.
– Pandit Gobar Ganesh
E-mail: panditji@cseindia.org
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