The Dwindling State of Commons

Set near Santiniketan, within Bengal’s landscape of rapid development and shifting rural realities, the project on the Dwindling State of the Commons investigates how rural communities contend with the erosion of shared resources. The chosen site—Ruppur village and the natural farming initiative Smell of Earth—serves as a lens to examine issues of land alienation, migration, and the loss of traditional practices. My long-term residency allowed me to closely engage with local narratives, uncovering the personal and collective struggles triggered by land mafias and escalating land prices.

This project foregrounds the ecological and social consequences of enclosure, tracing how colonial and corporate encroachment has undermined self-governing community commons—from water and forests to traditional knowledge systems. Through walking-based activities, dialogue, and collaborative observation, I facilitated conversations on farming, daily lives, foods, and rituals. The process of foraging for wild foods and medicinal plants became both a decolonizing act and a practical tool for reconnecting people to their land and heritage.

Drawing upon dialogical aesthetics and Kester’s conversation-based model, the work sought to co-produce knowledge and revalue polyphonic perspectives—empowering the locals to take pride in their experiential, often marginalized, wisdom. Foraging emerged as a site for intergenerational learning, environmental stewardship, and cultural resilience. It directly challenged commodification, encouraging sustainable practices and decentralized food systems.

In this project, rural communities were not passive recipients but active agents, shaping the meaning and legacy of the work. Traditional activities—mud toy making, ritual house maintenance, medicinal plant use—were acknowledged as practices of ecological harmony. The project culminated in a short film documenting these exchanges and the process-driven ethos. Ultimately, the Dwindling State of the Commons demonstrates that genuine transformation occurs only when artists remain integral to the communities and contexts in which they work, catalyzing sustainable change, amplifying local voices, and instilling confidence in maintaining and transmitting traditional practices for future generations.