Ranjita Mohanty

An anthropologist visits orans in Rajasthan

Orans are traditional sacred groves found in Rajasthan. These are community forests, preserved and managed by rural communities through institutions and codes that mark such forests sacred. Orans have significance for both, conservation and livelihood. The author visited two orans in Alwar district in Rajasthan and in this article, she writes about her observation.

Posted on 26 May, 2023 10:17 PM

It’s a day in late June 2022. The sun is fierce. I am in Rogda village, in the Aravali hills in Rajasthan. As I walk into the village, I see a big pond filled with water; it was like an oasis. I would learn soon that it is johad, a traditional water harvesting system to capture runoff water during monsoon. I keep walking and now I am amidst trees.

Since ancient times, communities in Rajasthan have preserved these orans, and their lives have been inextricably entwined with them. (Image: Ranjita Mohanty)

Community economies - Reconstructing rural economy with ecological sustainability and ethics of equity

Collective management, participation and equity are the foundations on which community economies are sustained.

Posted on 08 May, 2020 05:59 PM

The exodus of migrant workers from urban areas back to their villages in the wake of country wide lockdown has brought rural poverty into sharp focus. Reconstruction of rural economy therefore needs policy and planning attention.

Johads in Nanduwali nadi region (Image: Farhad Contractor, IWP Flickr)

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