From mitoo at sarai.net  Mon Jul 12 18:30:08 2010
From: mitoo at sarai.net (mitoo at sarai.net)
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:30:08 +0530
Subject: [Announcements] A discussion on Ecology of Fragments
Message-ID: <4C3B11D8.3090809@sarai.net>

The Delhi Urban Platform and the Goethe-Institut

invite you to an open discussion

Ecology of Fragments

6:00 P.M., 15th July 2010

Max Mueller Bhavan, 3, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Delhi- 1




Ecology of Fragments
The ecology of the city is changing rapidly in complex ways. It is 
impossible to capture this moment completely. In nature, as in human 
societies, altering any part of the ecology of an interdependent 
networked relationship impacts every other part in the system. In this 
process, many precious elements can 'disappear,' and become absent. They 
are apparent to us only as a 'lack,' or absence and gradually, over 
time. While nature evolves through a constant struggle and adaptation, 
with each micro niche being fragile and sustainable, there is no single 
predicted meta outcome, only a constant change. On the other hand, the 
change in our cities seems to be driven through imaginations which are 
fixed and pre-decided by capital and social power. Nothing else which 
could be termed human seems to matter anymore.

'Absences,' can be fragmented and dispersed, and not always visible. 
They are also markers of the forces behind the change. For example, has 
the concretisation of every green patch, lead to the disappearance of 
the house sparrow, or has the conservation of monuments meant that the 
city has no street performers any more? Will the river once cleaned, 
kill itself, or is the cleaner city leading more marginalized lives? 
Maybe it is time we think of 'ecology' not only in terms of 
'functionality' (is a tree more useful than a building) and 
'aesthetics,' (is a tree more beautiful than a building), but in terms 
of dominance and loss. Maybe this is what this moment is all about.

Speakers:
Ravi Agarwal: An Ecology of Fragments

Sohail Hashmi: Traditional water systems of Delhi

Anand Vivek Taneja: Monuments as living entities

Shashi Pandit: Wastepickers and new marginalisations in privatisation.

Manoj Mishra: The river as an eco-system, not merely a water channel.

(Chaired and moderated by Ravi Agarwal)