• 1: Home
• 2: Programmes
  • 2.1: Meeting Rivers
  • 2.2: The Transforming Word media programme
  • 2.3: Sustainable Agriculture
  • 2.4: In-Dia Forum
    • 2.4.1: Communal Harmony and Religions for Peace and Transformation
  • 2.5: Fireflies Semester
  • 2.6: Fireflies Ashram
  • 2.7: Fireflies Intercultural Centre
  • 2.8: Fireflies Art Village
• 3: Publications
• 4: Resources
  • 4.2: Religions/Spiritualities & Social Liberation
  • 4.3: Articles by Siddhartha
  • 4.6: Sustainable Alternatives
  • 4.7: Programmes at Pipal Tree
    • 4.7.1: Religion, Ethics and Climate Change
• 8: Workshop and Conference Facilities
• 9: Forthcoming Events
• 13: Contact Us

Programmes

Pipal Tree is committed to participatory processes that can empower poor and excluded communites. It also works towards cultural and eological renewal. 

The Methodology

We believe that, solving problems related to the poor is an empowerment process that must produce short-term, mid-term and long-term results. For example, we think that, in solving the problem of drinking water in urban poor communities we can arrive at consensus that transcends narrow personal and ideological differences. The need for drinking water for poor urban communities is an issue that nobody can disagree with. But a process of mediation is needed to help leaders and communities to narrow their differences and solve problems.

Various sections of the community do not have to abandon their respective positions. What we are doing through our programmes is creating the climate and goodwill to listen to each other across the continuum of various ideological scenarios. This climate helps to build coalitions to effectively solve problems related to the marginalized and excluded sections of society. These coalitions, largely informal in nature, include local community leaders, NGO's,  media, intellectuals, socially oriente businesspeople, government departments, bureaucrats and others. The members of these coalitions may be drawn into the processes of problem solving, at different levels and at different times.

This methodology helps foster provisional consensus within the democratic process to solve concrete problems. The approach is both incremental in nature and also geared to finding a complete solution when the situation permits. A spin-off of this methodology is that it can lead to the building of long term multi-stake-holder alliances that can promote effective participatory governance in different sectors (like Adivasi land rights, water distribution to the poorer comunities, housing for the poor, etc.). 

Operational Areas

Pipal Tree is an organisation that draws partners from all over India as well as overseas. However the problem solving methodologies are used in concrete situations with NGOs in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh.

Our Vision of Participatory Governance