Village Democracy, Mendha Style
Down To Earth|May 16, 2023
A nondescript Maria Gond village in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district can offer a lesson to urbanites on how to run a functioning democracy
Village Democracy, Mendha Style

MAVA NATE Mava Raj” (our government in our village) is the slogan Sarvodaya workers raised at a 1988 meeting in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, to educate people about village democracy. After the slogan-shouting, an old, “illiterate” Maria Gond adivasi, clad in a loin-cloth, stunned the Sarvodaya workers by asking, “You people say that in our villages, it is our government. Then whose governments are the ones in Delhi and Bombay?” The workers had no answer and the old man then told them, “The governments in Delhi and Bombay are ours because we elect them. But in our villages, we do not have a government. We are the government.

Denne historien er fra May 16, 2023-utgaven av Down To Earth.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra May 16, 2023-utgaven av Down To Earth.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA DOWN TO EARTHSe alt
Trade On Emissions
Down To Earth

Trade On Emissions

EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a tariff on imports, is designed to protect European industries in the guise of climate action.

time-read
9 mins  |
September 16, 2024
'The project will facilitate physical and cultural decimation of indigenous people'
Down To Earth

'The project will facilitate physical and cultural decimation of indigenous people'

The Great Nicobar Project has all the hallmarks of a disaster-seismic, ecological, human. Why did it get the go-ahead?

time-read
3 mins  |
September 16, 2024
TASTE IT RED
Down To Earth

TASTE IT RED

Popularity of Karnataka's red jackfruit shows how biodiversity can be conserved by ensuring that communities benefit from it

time-read
4 mins  |
September 16, 2024
MANY MYTHS OF CHIPKO
Down To Earth

MANY MYTHS OF CHIPKO

Misconceptions about the Chipko movement have overshadowed its true objectives.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 16, 2024
The politics and economics of mpox
Down To Earth

The politics and economics of mpox

Africa's mpox epidemic stems from delayed responses, neglect of its health risks and the stark vaccine apartheid

time-read
4 mins  |
September 16, 2024
Emerging risks
Down To Earth

Emerging risks

Even as the world gets set to eliminate substances threatening the ozone layer, climate change and space advancement pose new challenges.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 16, 2024
JOINING THE CARBON CLUB
Down To Earth

JOINING THE CARBON CLUB

India's carbon market will soon be a reality, but will it fulfil its aim of reducing emissions? A report by PARTH KUMAR and MANAS AGRAWAL

time-read
7 mins  |
September 16, 2024
Turn a new leaf
Down To Earth

Turn a new leaf

Scientists join hands to predict climate future of India's tropical forests

time-read
5 mins  |
September 16, 2024
Festering troubles
Down To Earth

Festering troubles

The Democratic Republic of Congo struggles to contain mpox amid vaccine delays, conflict and fragile healthcare.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 16, 2024
India sees unusual monsoon patterns
Down To Earth

India sees unusual monsoon patterns

THE 2024 southwest monsoon has, between June 1 and September 1, led to excess rainfall in western and southern states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, while others like Nagaland, Manipur and Punjab recorded a deficit.

time-read
1 min  |
September 16, 2024