Context:
A quarter of India’s geographical area, spanning 205 million acres of community forests, pastures and water bodies, are classified as Commons. They are shared resources that serve vital ecological functions, and also meet the critical livelihood needs of more than 350 million of India’s rural poor who heavily depend on commonly shared resources to meet basic needs of food, fodder, water, medicine, firewood, and timber which are essential sources for their livelihoods.
India’s Commons face widespread degradation, leading to falling yields, increased cost of cultivation, depleted water tables, shrinking forests, and the unregulated use of pastures. It is also now acknowledged globally, that the degradation of Commons is a key contributor to poverty, conflict, corruption and limited economic growth. The good news is there are several ongoing initiatives all across the country to conserve the Commons and restore these relationships.
Many local communities have come together to restore Commons through formal and informal institutions and governance processes. And effective communication has emerged as a critical tool to revive, reclaim, and reimagine the Commons. Whether through storytelling, digital media, participatory platforms, or policy advocacy, strategic communication plays a key role in shaping narratives, building constituencies, influencing policy, and amplifying community voices. As part of its mission to promote restoration of Commons across the country, FES seeks to enhance Commons literacy and enrich the narrative around it.
And one of the means to carry it ahead is the Promise of Commons Fellowship. The Promise of Commons is a collaborative initiative bringing together communities, governments, NGOs, think tanks, research institutions, media, and individuals to work on the interconnected issues of environmental health and economic well being in rural India. In this year’s ILDC, FES intends to share its work on building a constituency of communicators to help create a better understanding around Commons, its community governance and multifarious impacts on various domains of rural life through a panel discussion comprising the Fellows who covered stories from various parts of India to highlight the community stewardship of Commons.
Objectives of the Session:
The panellists, comprising media professionals who have been bringing stories from the ground under the Promise of Commons Fellowship, will
● discuss the appropriateness of media vis-à-vis ecology and demography.
● analyse the current gaps and challenges in how Commons are communicated
● showcase innovative communication practices and tools that have successfully advanced the cause of Commons
● discuss how to craft compelling narratives that centre community voices and indigenous knowledge systems
● explore the various methods of communication used, how they worked, and the limitations of methods that are being currently used
About the session speakers
Mr Sambhava Jain
Feature Editor, ABP News Network
Panelist
Mr. Kumar Sambhava Jain, a native of Agra, serves as a Feature Editor at ABP News. With almost 18 years of experience in journalism, he has extensively covered a diverse range of subjects including breaking news, lifestyle, general knowledge, education, technology, social, and environmental issues. His work is driven by a commitment to delivering in-depth and insightful stories that offer readers fresh and valuable information. Over the years, he has contributed to several leading media organizations such as Navbharat Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Amar Ujala, and Jansatta. Most recently, he has been associated with the Promise of Commons Fellowship.
Mr Rahul Singh
Freelance Journalist
Panelist
Mr. Rahul Singh is an independent journalist based in Jharkhand and he mainly writes on environmental issues from eastern states of India. He has been focusing on understanding river ecosystems and the coal economy. He holds a master's degree from the prestigious Banaras Hindu University in India. He has received many fellowships for reporting and research. He is a Promise of Commons Fellows since 2025.
Mr Himanshu Nitnaware
Correspondent, Down To Earth
Panelist
I am a multimedia journalist with 15 years of experience working with major publications such as
The Times of India newspaper, Pune Mirror (The Times Group), The Wire, Mongabay, Down To Earth and 101 Reporters ranging in multiple formats from broadsheet, tabloid, print magazine and online.
I was awarded the prestigious Chevening scholarship funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British government.
At Down To Earth, I cover issues extensively on forest, wildlife, rural livelihood, highlighting issues from ground across remote areas and hinterlands of India.
Mr Bhagirath
Assistant Editor, Down To Earth Hindi
Panelist
I am Bhagirath, working as an assistant editor with Down To Earth Magazine for more than 8 years. Here, I do edit and cover environment issues like agriculture, climate change, health, etc. Earlier to this, I worked with Times Group for approx 7 years.
Ms Aishwarya Mohanty
Freelance Journalist
Panelist
NA
Ms Pallavi Srivastava
Freelance Writer
Moderator
Pallavi Srivastava is an independent writer, editor and former journalist. She has over 25 years of experience as a print and online journalist, during which she worked with leading Indian publications such as The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Indian Express and The New Indian Express, among others, in Delhi and Bengaluru. She is currently working as a communications consultant with FES.