#73 Agrita Dandriyal on regenerating hope in new times
“Regeneration is not the complete replication of the past, but an adaptation and attempt at restoration with respect to what the needs of the present are. It’s a knowing that time brings change, no matter how small or large, and that the process of regeneration will have to take into account these changes. The end result can look slightly or significantly different to what existed before the change, which can be positive or negative, and that is what we need to accept. Regeneration is a cycle within the cycle of life, a cycle where the desired result will always look and feel different under different conditions. ”
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How can the emulation of nature’s processes of regeneration seed hopeful inspiration into new beginnings? In what ways can we tap into the regenerative capacities and energies of our material bodies to engage in reparative changemaking that feeds imaginations of a reality that break cycles of internalised scarcity and overconsumption to nurture cultures of care, mutuality and rest?
In our first episode of 2024, we are joined by the host Agrita Dandriyal to explore the ways in which we engage in the complex regeneration of our material and non-material capacities with the beginning of every new year. Being deeply inspired by the microcosms of her family’s gardens and the political space of her body, Agrita calls for a remembering of the eco-cultural roots of regeneration in values of reciprocal care and resilience so that we can reclaim the reparative power of the age-old concept and materialise our dreams of an equitable and restful reality.
What will be covered:
Internalised scarcity emerging in the body as constant fatigue, fear and hopelessness at the beginning of the year
The importance of inner resource management during the intensification of winter and beginning of a new year for the Northern Hemisphere
Taking inspiration from Katherine May’s Wintering (via @advaya’s Instagram) and her usage of winter as an extended metaphor for the periods of heightened difficulties in our lives, and how important rest and care is during those difficulties
The power of tapping into the regenerative capacities of our bodies to transition as smoothly as possible through periods of change like winter
Building on inner resource management discussed with Laura Hartley to explore how we can sustain “ever-present” inner resources through care-based management
Hope as an inner resource that is sensitive to change and in constant need of maintenance, but also present in everyone if cared for correctly
Drawing inspiration from nature and emulating natural processes of regeneration as a form of resilience- and capacity-building
Extended metaphor of gardening and being observant to how a garden responds to different modes of caregiving to get inspiration for tending to our inner needs (briefly discussed with Laura Formentini)
Acceptance being at the core of hope-led work, particularly for the uncertainty attached to the process
The intimate connections of hope work to feminist body politics, within the context of activism and justice movements
In-depth example of the Chipko movement in Garhwal, Uttarakhand (India) through the material ontology of assemblage theory, and how Garhwali women used their material and agentic capacities of their bodies to hug and protect their tree kin from deforestation
Infusion of hope in the relational work of protecting beings that are not ‘seen’ by the legal and justice systems
Changemaking as the process of bodies, as political spaces, interacting with other bodies and tending to each others’ needs as well as your own
Hope as the seed for reparations, and the connectedness between regeneration and repair
Addressing the hesitation by environmental justice platforms in using the age-old concept due to its corporate co-optation
Power in reclaiming regeneration as an crucial reparative life process and honouring its ancestral roots in mutual care, resilience and reciprocity
Resources:
Wintering by Katherine May
Ongoing conceptual inspiration from Advaya
Laura Hartley on disembodying capitalism
Laura Formentini on regenerative healing and maternal grief
Agrita Dandriyal on the gift in environmental caregiving
Paper on feminist body politics (Hyndman, 2019)
Paper on geopolitical assemblage theory by my professor Jason Dittmer (Dittmer, 2014)
Video transcript for my assignment on the ecopolitical assemblage of the Chipko movement (I am unable to post the actual video due to copyright issues)
Sanjana Sekhar on ethical climate storytelling
Mind Full of Everything is a podcast calling for the radical healing of the self and community to outgrow the broken dominant culture of radical individualism and disconnection from our place as interdependent beings, so that we can collectively re-envision a safer, healthier and equitable world. Each episode takes a healing-centric approach to explore the embodied ways in which we can collectively restore and transform our journeys as stewards of community and earth through conversations with writers, researchers, coaches and educators, as well as reflection episodes with the host Agrita Dandriyal on her journey navigating the world as a deeply conscious, culturally-rooted and relational being. Learn more here.
