ICSSR funds systemic study of Vachana philosophy’s role in decentralized governance and ecological stewardship
Original framing: “Central University professor secures ICSSR grant for research on Vachana-based management” — bing news
Vachana literature, composed by marginalized *sharanas* (devotees) in the 12th century, encodes ecological reciprocity through metaphors of shared rivers, communal labor, and anti-caste ethics—principles now recognized as indigenous sustainability frameworks. Modern management studies rarely engage with these texts as living systems, instead treating them as historical artifacts. The ICSSR grant’s focus on 'management' risks instrumentalizing this wisdom without acknowledging its roots in devotional resistance to feudal and Brahminical oppression.
The ICSSR grant for 'Vachana-based management' is a microcosm of a global reckoning with extractive governance, where indigenous epistemologies are being reclaimed as tools for systemic resilience.
Vachana’s 12th-century challenge to caste and feudalism mirrors contemporary movements like Brazil’s *Landless Workers’ Movement* or Rojava’s democratic confederalism, all of which reject hierarchical power in favor of communal autonomy. Yet the grant’s framing risks repeating colonial patterns by positioning a Central University professor as the sole knowledge producer, obscuring the Lingayat women and artisans who preserved these traditions through persecution. A truly systemic approach would center these voices in co-designing futures where 'management' is not about control but about reciprocity—aligning with scientific evidence on climate adaptation and cross-cultural wisdom on collective welfare. The solution pathways must therefore prioritize epistemic justice, ensuring that indigenous knowledge is not mined for data but nurtured as a living system of governance.