KICS Sharing Session – 42

Science and Society: A Contemporary Perspective
Speaker: Prof. Deepak Kumar

Date and Time: October 6, 2018, 4:00 – 6:00 PM
Venue: CWS Conference Hall, 12-13-438, Street No. 1, Tarnaka, Secunderabad - 500017

This talk proposes to explore the dynamics of the science-society relationship in the context of contemporary India. As a background, it will begin with some focus on what had happened during the colonial times, especially the period of transition from dependence to independence. Modern science no doubt had come as part of the colonial baggage and was gradually accepted by the growing middle class. But this was not done without certain valid contestations. These debates informed and influenced the Indian national movement. It had outstanding participants like Gandhi, Tagore, Saha, Visvesvaraya, Raman and Nehru. Their ideas gradually led to a kind of development discourse which remains valid even today.

What were the contours of this discourse? The inner tensions were amply reflected in the planning process which independent India had enthusiastically accepted. Science and technology had become almost synonymous with modernisation and development. What were its strength and weaknesses? Notwithstanding certain fault lines, the foundations of a new India were laid. New institutions were created, new sub-disciplines emerged and the role of scientists like S.S. Bhatnagar, P. Mahalanobis, Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, B. P. Pal deserve notice at par with politicians and reformers of the time. The year 1967 marks a watershed, and as the political fortunes fluctuated, educational institutions began to decline. The successive governments responded by creating new institutions. The revolutionary changes in information and other technologies brought some prosperity as well as fresh challenges. The talk will end with a tentative assessment of these changes by the end of the twentieth century, the consequences of which are too close to be properly assessed.

Prof. Deepak Kumar has worked and published on different aspects of science, society and government links in the context of colonial India during the last four decades. On retirement from Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi), he is currently an Honorary Professor at the University of Hyderabad. His publications include Science and the Raj: A Study of British India (OUP, 2006) and The Trishanku Nation: Memory, Self and Society in Contemporary India (OUP, 2016).

Sharing session is one of the regular activities of Knowledge In Civil Society (KICS) trust. These are organised around contemporary themes relevant to KICS work as an exercise of learning from each other. The objective is to deepen our shared understanding of the theme and to appreciate the key cross linkages, especially in the realm of Science, Technology & Society. You can find a list of previous sharing sessions here.

The challenge of technology and sustainability of trade unions
Speaker: Shri. Sudhershan Rao Sarde
Date and Time: January 20, 2018, 4:00 – 6:00 PM Venue: CWS Conference Hall,
12-13-438, Street No. 1, Tarnaka, Secunderabad - 500017

Workplaces are becoming increasingly flexible and various models are being evolved and developed to push strategic and resilient dimensions, with leaner and meaner business organizations, in response to competitive marketplaces. Path-breaking technological advancements in automation, robotics and artificial intelligence coupled with revolutionary strides in information and communication technology, have facilitated unhindered flow of capital, goods, services and data, promoted by an overarching neo-liberal socio-political framework. Industry 4.0 or the 4th industrial revolution is substantially impacting, and even disrupting, traditional industrial manufacturing models.

Trade unions to survive as institutions of social change have to confront and complement these challenges; otherwise, the survival of the unions is at stake --- they still have a role to safeguard labour interests, in the field of health, for example. Technological innovations and re-organization of production and manufacturing processes have evolved since the industrial revolution, with trade unions successfully adapting to the ever changing workplace dynamics, rendering them to remain socially relevant. The coming digitalization has far reaching implications without historical precedents.

Therefore, trade unions have to explore innovative methods of organizing to unite individual, crowd workers, platform workers, self-employed, home based, outsourced and informal workers in addition to the regular workers, making use of the same technologies that mark production, so as to protect and advance the rights and entitlements of the working people, and further the common good of society at large. This presentation tries to examine, whether trade unions would live up to the challenges of the technological advancements to benefit all strata of society, in any case, it is the labour who contribute to production and wealth.

Sudhershan Rao Sarde has been associated with the trade union movement for thirty eight years,and worked with national trade unions and trade union groups across India. As Joint Convener of Central Universities Employees Coordination Committee, he worked towards rationalizing working and service conditions of Central University employees on par with Central Government Employees. As Working President of Steel Metal and Engineering Workers Federation and Member, National Working Committee of HMS strived hard for improving the conditions of Metal Workers. As Regional Director of International Metal Workers Federation (IMF), he was responsible for advancing the cause of the Metal workers in the South Asian region. Since June 2015, he has been Chairman and Managing Director of Sarde Suvarna Sustainable Development & Training Private Limited and coordinating Trade Unions with Environmental Groups and Civil Society Organizations for Health, Environmental Concerns and sustainable Development through awareness camps, rights advocacy and collective action.

KICS Sharing Session #39 Challenges in the Socio-Environmental Regulatory Governance of Thermal Power Plants in India (with specific reference to TPPs in Telangana)
Speaker: Meera Sanghamitra
Date and Time: October 21, 2017, 4:00 – 6:00 PM
Venue: CWS Conference Hall, 12-13-438, Street No. 1, Tarnaka, Secunderabad - 500017

Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) contribute a lion’s share to the installed power capacity of this country, contributing about 76% of the total electricity produced. Over the decades, the social and environmental impacts and implications of these plants have been a major cause of concern, both to the government and civil society. The past two decades, also witnessed the slow evolution of a legal and regulatory regime that governs these plants. While on the one hand, climate change and cheaper availability of renewable energy sources are pushing governments and project proponents to re-consider prioritizing thermal plants, we are still, as a country, grappling with the socio-environmental costs of numerous TPPs that have come up in the past decades as well as quite a few plants that are in the offing. At the heart of this, lies the role of the regulatory institutions that have a mandate to ensure compliance with law, protection of environment and rights of affected communities.

The Speaker would like to share her preliminary findings, questions and concerns on this aspect, based on her work in the past 9 months, with specific reference to the social and environmental regulatory processes of Bhadradri, Yadadri, Ramagundam and Kothagudem TPPs in Telangana. She would like to present the status of regulatory governance with regard to some of these projects and thereby raise questions about the violations and gaps in the regulatory mechanisms. This is based on her analysis of relevant documents and discussions with sector actors, civil society activists and field visits. Some of the key issues that would be covered include environmental impact assessments and monitoring, environmental clearance, land acquisition and rehabilitation, covering the entire project life including planning, construction and operation.

The sharing session will begin with a presentation of key highlights and status of regulatory governance with regard to the above projects and thereby raise both specific and larger questions about the violations and gaps in the regulatory mechanisms that merit review. Along with sharing some of her own suggestions to improve and strengthen the regulatory mechanism, to ensure greater compliance on the social and environmental aspects of TPPs, the speaker shall also invite feedback and inputs from the participants to fortify the regulatory mechanisms as well as informed participation of civil society.

Meera Sanghamitra was trained as a lawyer in Hyderabad and has had an abiding interest in environmental and social justice issues since college years, when, along with a few other friends, she co-founded a small group called Grassroots. Between March 2008 -June, 2016, she has been associated and travelling with activist Medha Patkar and was involved full time with the Narmada Bachao Andolan – understanding and engaging on an everyday basis with the democratic struggle of thousands of oustees for decentralized development; right to land, livelihood, rehabilitation, environmental justice; touching at multiple levels, the interface of The People, The State, The Society. She has also been involved with various activities of the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) during this entire period, in different capacities, including as a National Organizer and National Convenor. As she continues to be part of NAPM, she is also presently working as an independent researcher on the social and environmental regulatory aspects of Thermal Power Plants in Telangana, as a Girish Sant Memorial Fellow-2017 (co-ordinated by the Prayas Energy Group).

Chitra Krishnan was trained as a civil engineer at IIT Madras following which she worked on water resource issues in rural Kerala before pursuing her Master’s in Environmental Engineering in USA. Her working stints in different rural contexts and an organic farm in the USA influenced her markedly in her research quests. She completed her PhD from IIT Delhi on the traditional irrigation system of South India (tanks and anicuts). Her research publications include “The State and Drought: Villagers’ Experiences” and “Irrigation Infrastructure: The Case of the Tungabhadra River”. She is currently practising dryland horticulture in Tumkur district, Karnataka and is involved in research studies looking at design and implementation issues of green infrastructure.

KICS Sharing Session #38
Conserving Slow Growing trees in a Fast Moving Economy
Observations from an experiment in Karnataka

Speaker: Chitra Krishnan

Date and Time: March 18, 2017, 4:00 – 6:00 PM
Venue: CWS Conference Hall, 12-13-438, Street No. 1, Tarnaka, Secunderabad - 500017

Why trees need to be conserved is a question with many scientific answers – carbon sequestration, temperature regulation, protection of soil from erosion etc. Where should trees be protected is a question on which scientific attitudes have been changing. Earlier it seemed that having “islands” of protected areas such as forests was enough. Now it is increasing felt that “it is not feasible to protect a few islands rich in biodiversity in the midst of degraded landscapes. The biodiversity-rich islands would be far more secure if a serious attempt is made to create a biodiversity friendly, ecologically restored matrix around them (Gadgil, 1994).” This reasonable argument implies that we need to consider conserving trees (or rather, biodiversity) in and around our villages and cities too.

That brings in the most challenging question, how can trees (and tree diversity) be conserved, given the fast moving economy? Is there a general answer? Can it be left to the local government authorities? Or experts? Or does it require the involvement of a large number of ordinary people? If so, is information and awareness enough to nudge people into conserving trees? Or does it require that we connect with trees – in our everyday lives? How much do popular social attitudes affect conservation?

The sharing session will begin with describing some native tree species of semi-arid parts of south India. It will then dwell on an attempt, over a period of about a year, by two small farmers to tackle dwindling tree-cover in their villages in Tumkur District, Karnataka. Their efforts included an intensive tree census, and, subsequent engagement with tree owners, the local community and the Forest Department to conserve existing trees. The risks involved in and the lessons from this attempt have a wider applicability that will be remarked upon. Lastly, a few other attempts in south India at tree conservation will be brought in.

Sharing Session – 37

Hyderabad: Anatomy Of The Urban Flood
Speaker: Anant Maringanti

Date and Time: November 5, 2016, 4:00 – 6:00 PM
Venue: CWS Conference Hall, 12-13-438,
Street No. 1, Tarnaka, Secunderabad - 500017

For nearly two decades now, Hyderabad has seen unplanned, tremendous growth in built up area. This has seriously disrupted storm water drains, and tremendously increased surface runoff. This violation of urban development norms is responsible for flooding in several points across the city.

The fault lies in forgetting our agricultural past and ignoring climate change. It took us centuries to develop the complex systems of values assigned to lands in the agrarian settlement. These values are based on soil conditions, gradient, location relative to other geographic and geological features such as ground water, surface water, drainage patterns etc. Urbanisation has altered this agrarian imprint with new logics of efficiency and economy of service delivery. New logics of revenue categories, new processes of record maintenance, reservation of land parcels for new purposes and installation of new infrastructure have erased the agrarian birthmarks of land.

With increasing pressure for land monetisation, governments and public utilities are vying with each other to capture and convert land parcels to new uses. Ridge systems, stream paths, accumulation points in the valleys — which used to play critical roles in managing precipitation and drainage — have been flattened.

In this sharing session, the speaker will discuss the untold story of urban floods and explain the need to re-centre our policy and to re-train our engineers into acknowledging our agrarian past. Urbanisation needs to be managed with careful observation, data gathering over long periods of time, modelling the behaviour of nature in the altered context. The speaker will elaborate the ways to review and revise revenue laws and rules that govern land categories and shape land use change.

Anant Maringanti is a geographer with a PhD from University of Minnesota and has taught graduate courses at the National University of Singapore and University of Hyderabad. His research and teaching interests centre on questions of urbanization and globalization from the South Asian vantage point. He is currently the director of Hyderabad Urban Lab, a multi disciplinary research programme run by the Right to the City Foundation. He has widely published in national and international academic journals on social movements, politics of development and urbanization.

Sharing Session – 36

The Andaman & Nicobar Islands: an island journey
Speaker: Pankaj Sekhsaria

Date and Time: June 18, 2016, 0400 – 0600 PM
Venue: CWS Conference Hall, 12-13-438, Street No. 1,
Tarnaka, Secunderabad - 500017

Sharing session is one of the regular activities of Knowledge In Civil Society trust (KICS, www.kicsforum.net). These are organised around contemporary themes relevant to KICS work as an exercise of learning from each other. The objective is to deepen our shared understanding of the theme and to appreciate the key cross linkages, especially in the realm of Science, Technology & Society.

It is a little more than two decades since the speaker first visited the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and has had the great opportunity of travelling extensively in the islands, right from the north in Diglipur to the extreme south - to Indira Point on Great Nicobar Island.

Pankaj has had a number of incredible experiences as well - many exhilarating and humbling hours watching Green sea, leatherback and Olive ridley turtles nest on remote uninhabited islands; photographing the endemic Nicobari megapode build up its nesting mound; descending into deep dark caves to see nesting Edible nest swiftlets; swimming and snorkelling in the sparkling waters - researching and writing on this spectacular diversity and beauty and the threats and challenges it faces; seeing the devastation caused in the earthquake and tsunami of 2004 and getting involved in advocacy and litigation in the interests of the fragile ecology and the indigenous peoples of the islands.

This sharing session will be the story of two parallel journeys – one is of the geology, ecology and history of the islands; the other is Pankaj’s personal journey of travelling and discovering the islands, the most recent step of which was the writing of his debut novel, The Last Wave, a story that is deeply embedded in the ecology, people and history of the islands. The session will begin with a slide presentation on the A&N islands, include readings from the book itself and will be followed by a Q&A session.

Pankaj Sekhsaria is a member of the environmental action group, Kalpavriksh, where he works on issues of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and also edits the bi-monthly newsletter, the Protected Area Update. He is a freelance journalist, photographer and author, most recently, of The Last Wave – an island novel, a story based in the Andaman Islands. He has authored/edited three other, non-fiction books, two of which are based in the A&N Islands.

He graduated as a mechanical engineer from the Pune University in 1993 and followed this with a Master’s Degree in Mass Communication from the Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi, in 1998. He has just finished his doctoral work in Science and Technology Studies (STS) from Maastricht University, Netherlands. Titled ‘Enculturing Innovation – Indian engagements with nanotechnology’, his thesis looks at the ideas and the practices of innovation within nano-science and technology laboratories in India and explores the societal and cultural influences on research and on innovation inside the laboratory.

Please register for this session by contacting us (email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , phone: +91-87905 35613).

Solar Powered Feeders
an attractive alternative for agriculture pumpsets in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
(a KICS Sharing Session, #35)

Facilitators: Sreekumar N, M Thimma Reddy, BN Prabhakar
Date and Time: February 06, 2015 / 04.00 PM – 06.00 PM
Venue: Conference Hall, Centre for World Solidarity (CWS),
12-13-438, Street No.1, Tarnaka, Secunderabad - 500 017

Multi-dimensional crisis in agriculture is a matter of concern for all. Irrigation based on electric pumpsets is one of the dimensions of this crisis. For the last few decades, this area is caught in a downward spiral, with many unhappy actors further aggravating the crisis. Farmers get free electricity in AP and Telangana states, but are not happy with the poor quality of supply and service. Distribution companies are not happy since the tariff is low and connections are dispersed over a large area. State governments bear the high subsidy burden for providing power supply to agriculture. There have been discussions on how to overcome this crisis, mostly on how to address the ‘problems’ of the distribution company. Very few pro-farmer alternatives have been suggested, and there has been little headway in addressing the crisis.

Sharing Session # 34

Hasiru Dala:
Creating dignity and wealth out of waste

Speaker: Nalini Shekar
Date and Time: November 21, 2015 03.30 – 05.30 PM
Venue: Conference Hall, Centre for World Solidarity (CWS), Street No.1, Tarnaka, Secunderabad - 500 017

Nalini Shekar is a social activist. Her passion is to work with the unorganized sector of labour that constitutes 90% of Indian labour. She has also worked extensively on the issue of violence against women. Her main focus now is on inclusion of waste pickers in the Solid Waste Management process of Urban Local Body.

She co-founded Hasiru Dala (meaning ‘Green Force’ in Kannada) by organizing waste pickers in the streets of Bengaluru into a cohesive group of waste-management professionals.

Sharing Session – 33
The Personal is Political:
A continuing struggle for gender equality

Speaker: Dr. V Rukmini Rao
Date and Time: March 20, 2015, 1600 – 1800 hrs
Venue: CWS Conference Hall,
12-13-438, Street No. 1, Tarnaka, Secunderabad - 500017

Having experienced gender discrimination and vulnerability through her personal experiences Dr. V. Rukmini Rao decided to work with vulnerable women in 1975, starting her work in form of a research project to study the situation of women workers in public sector companies. Informally, at the same time, she also started working with women activist-friends in Delhi, to bring justice to families whose daughters were burnt to death for dowry. Since then her journey has intersected with several issues and raised many questions and challenges. How can ordinary citizens influence government? How can we impact the law making process?

Sharing Session – 32: Cultures of Innovation in Handloom Weaving

Video of Presentation: Innovation & Tradition: A Tale of Two Cities by Annapurna Mamidipudi

Annapurna Mamidipudi is doing her PhD at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Her research project conceptualizes handloom weaving as a sustainable socio-technology, as an equitable economic activity, and as embedded knowledge for sustainable societies. Annapurna is trained as an engineer in Manipal, India. She is one of the founders of Dastkar Andhra, an NGO which supports craft and handloom livelihoods through intervening in technology, marketing, design and policy.

Bridging the Last Mile in Canal Irrigation

Chitra Krishnan shares the local peoples' struggle to get canal water into their local tanks during the drought of 2012.

In this segment "What the Last Mile Looks Like" she outlines what canal irrigation is like at the last mile of canal irrigation - No trickle down effect here...

In the second segment, Drought of 2012 details the chain of events when local villagers tried to get the water to reach their tanks during the critical days..

Reflecting on this experience, in the third segment, Chitra ponders..

Sharing Session - 31: Rural Development: Through the Looking Glass by Dr. Chitra Krishnan

This sharing session was a part of a broader KICS project titled
“The State and Drought: Villagers' experiences"

Report in Kannada

Video Coverage of Session:
1. How beneficiaries Experience Government schemes;
2. Collective Action & Changing Aspirations &
3. The Beneficiary Writes

KICS Sharing Session #30

Bridging the Last Mile in Canal Irrigation:

No plain or simple matter

Dr. Chitra Krishnan

Chair: Dr. A.R.Vasavi

Presentation

KICS Sharing Session #29

Rethinking social innovation in India:
Understanding value and trusteeship

This sharing session will take further some of the previous discussions at Mumbai (Sharing Session# 28 Social Entrepreneurship and the Quest for Economic Democracy). The session would explore the challenges for promoting social innovation in India and the current thinking on social entrepreneurship within a broader set around social innovation.

The session is facilitated by Rajni Bakshi and Joseph Thomas as discussant. C. Shambu Prasad will moderate the session.

Date and Time: June 11, 2013, 1600 – 1800 hrs
Venue: CWS Conference Hall, Street No.1, Tarnaka, Secunderabad

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KICS Sharing Session #38Conserving Slow Growing trees in a Fast Moving EconomyObservations from an experiment in Karnataka

Speaker: Chitra Krishnan

Hyderabad: Anatomy Of The Urban FloodSpeaker: Anant Maringanti

Main Menu

KICS Sharing Session #38
Conserving Slow Growing trees in a Fast Moving Economy
Observations from an experiment in Karnataka

Hyderabad: Anatomy Of The Urban Flood
Speaker: Anant Maringanti