Articles by Savyasaachi

The contemporary water crisis is dehydrating, disturbing and undermining the foundation of the existence of all living beings. The most significant aspect of this crisis is the efforts to make manufactured water (h₂o) available for human beings, leaving behind contaminated poisonous water for all non-human living beings. To tide over this crisis, it will be necessary to recognise that only the hydration of non-human living beings will ensure water availability for human beings. The primordiality of water in landscapes (and not h₂o) will have to be given a foundational position in the modern world view, as the reflexive labor it metabolises can restrain the instrumental labour metabolised by h₂o.

This essay argues that the Forest Rights Act 2006 is designed on the principles of labour teleology. It undermines the foundational position of forests, prepares them to become a playground for profits and minimally serves the interests of the marginalised tribal and forest dwellers. The paper describes the basic features of labour teleology and the notion of foundational position in its historical context. It then proceeds to describe the historical process of labour teleology in India and its impact on the forest. It locates FRA 2006 in the development of capitalism and goes on to show that by destroying the foundational position of forests, this Act turns forests into an ecological service provider for capitalism.