Kinship structures (familial relationships) in indigenous societies are not anthropocentric. They involve non-humans & so called non-living entities as well. This is the world view of "man as nature" & not "man against nature" 1/5
When we as Indians treat our rivers as mothers (Ma Ganga, Ma Yamuna, Maa Rewa), or feed our ancestors through crows, or show reverence towards the peepal tree, we refresh these kinship structures with nature, reinforcing that we ARE nature & not apart from it 2/5
If our own ontology was the basis of our engagement with what we call "development" or "modernity", our entire economic model would have been different. It would be organic. Treatment of rivers would be different, flora/fauna would not be "resource", farming not extractive 3/5
It is possible that we would have shifted to renewables like solar much faster, focused on EV tech, because divinity of rivers n forests wouldn't allow us to exploit them, & would force us to think of new ways of addressing our energy needs. Our education system 4/5
would evolve to respect these kinship bonds, & eco-sensitivity would be more than a fashion statement. Singing to make it rain does not show irrationality. It shows the belief that when one part of nature is thirsty, it can simply ask the other for water, & do so in Raaga 5/5
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