Vidisha Barwal

LA4000

“A guild is usually defined as an association of people working towards a common goal. In Purushwadi where tribals have been residing since antiquity, they have nurtured their cultures and traditions along with nature. People in the village are hardworking and are always ready to do good for the village development. They have a welcoming attitude to any change in the village which will bring them prosperity while they remain sensitive towards nature and natural resources. Their own guild has proved to be fruitful for themselves which can be set as a model for other villages.” The project ‘Saha Sangh’ acknowledges the prevalent ethnobotanical awareness of the tribals and considers existing landmarks in Purushwadi. It devises an aide to this ancient wisdom in the form of six plant guilds (six= Saha, guild=Sangh) on one of the village commons. As an outcome of various probabilities, investigations and derivations, the project explores the existing flora species of the region and juxtaposes their existence to form clusters/guilds. Keeping in view the medicinal properties and religious values of flora, and the cultural couture in the village, the six guilds realised in the project are - 1. a guild as an antidote to snakebites, 2. a guild identified for its demonstration of the colour ‘yellow’ on visual format, 3. a guild that serves as a cure to asthma, 4. a guild nearing the forest for its irregular structure5. a guild demarcating a fine line for the villagers to identify the area from or up till where cultivation can be practiced during the seasons and,6. a firefly guild representative of the species dear to fireflies. This nomenclature also guides the rural inhabitants about the specificity of guilds for ease of identification. These guilds demand management to a certain level and thus command community participation. The larger aim behind the guilds is to address the probability of response by the rural grounds to the past and present, and catalyse the village to achieve a future balance between nature-human interface which will stimulate the idea of homeland at various levels of landscape interventions.  Project Area - 7062.6 sq. m.