From 8 October to 26 November, we're hosting a series of talks on nature and society to celebrate 25 years of NCF. On Friday, 26 November, at 4:30 pm, Raza Kazmi will be talking about conservation in east central India.

The east-central Indian landscape has a long history of conflicts and tribal assertions over Jal, Jangal, Zameen (Water, Forest, and Land). This slogan, critical to the Jharkhand movement, continues to resonate in many parts of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. However, in these debates over Jal Jangal Zameen, the‘Jaanwar’ (wildlife or animals) have always been conspicuously absent. We explore these and allied questions in this talk by examining certain case studies from the Adivasi-dominated forests of east-central India, the state of wildlife and conservation in these regions, as well as the role of community, State, and non-State actors in this status quo.

Raza Kazmi is a conservationist, wildlife historian, researcher, and writer. His fields of expertise include wildlife history of India, conservation policy, and conservation issues in the country's ‘Red Corridor’ landscape. His work focuses on the interplay between forest governance and naxalism on one hand, and Adivasi rights and conservation needs on the other. His writings appear in The Hindu, The Indian Express, The Wire, Sanctuary Asia, RoundGlass Sustain, Seminar, Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, and other natural history and wildlife journals. He has also contributed essays to edited anthologies. Raza currently works as a consultant with the Ashoka Archives of Contemporary India, Ashoka University. He is the recipient of the New India Foundation Fellowship for 2020 under which he will be writing a book tentatively titled "The First of the Nine: The Story of Palamau Tiger Reserve".

Zoom link: bit.ly/NCFtalks