Aram Thinai is a platform for people, especially youth to reimagine our collective futures by working on the intersections of climate change and local livelihoods, and eco-social justice. We aim to catalyse the eco-social change required for the transition towards Localised Climate Resilience.
We define Localised Climate Resilience as a pathway for climate action which is based on local landscape and community needs and rooted to their socio-cultural wisdom i.e. local knowledge, local livelihoods and local economy. In the current centralised socio-political scenario, local governance and local action are vital for resistance against any act of jeopardising the shift towards Localised Climate Resilience.
Our work is centred on the impact of climate change on marginalised communities, community response and localised climate resilience through co-creating/supporting working models i.e. action, documentation, experiential education and effective communication.
Climate change is one of the major concerns for today’s youth but is slowly being appropriated leading to greenwashing and maladaptation. We believe that climate change is an extension of the prevailing eco-social issues and will disproportionately impact the already oppressed and marginalised. An intersectionality understanding of climate change with local relevance is critical to anchor the climate actions in the desired direction i.e. towards “Localised Climate Resilience”. Aram Thinai is a humble effort to enable this transition.
The name of our initiative has a lot of significance and relevance. Aram means righteousness. It is a highly valued word in Tamil literature and also the title of 1st part of the renowned Thirukural. Thinai means landscape. Land was classified in Tamil tradition and literature into 5 Thinai – Kurinji (Mountain region), Mullai (Forests and marshy lands), Marutham (fertile cropland), Neithal (Coastal areas) and Palai (Deserts and Dry lands) and lifestyles and culture were derived based on the Thinai. The two words form the core of our work and thus the name.
OUR VISION
We envision a future of socially, ecologically and economically just society centered around land (Thinai), life and livelihood, driven by righteousness (Aram), sustainability and equitability.
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Enabling intersectional and nuanced understanding of climate change with local relevance especially among youth
Enabling various models and inclusive collaborations for supporting nature based livelihoods, climate change adaptation and mitigation
Amplification of the voices of marginalised communities and other life forms
Shifting the narrative of development from mere economic growth towards people’s wellbeing
Founding Partner
Benisha is a young women artist who uses art and design for effective communication on the intersectionality between climate change and social issues. Gender, sustainable urban planning and coast is her field of work. She has expertise in community engagement and documentation.
Founding Partner
Karthik is an eco-social changemaker working in the intersection of organic agriculture, local nature-based livelihoods, and climate change. He brings with himself his co-ordination, communication, and problem-solving skills along with his grassroots understanding and network.
Address
No: 02, First Floor, 16/24, Thiruvallur Nagar Main Road, Keelkattalai, Chennai,
PIN: 600117
Contact
contact@aramthinai.in
+91-7449138207