Commons Archives

Commons Sensing: Ep 02 – Can Markets Align With Commons? | Raghu N & Vinuta Gopal

Can markets ever work in service of the commons without hollowing them out?

In this episode of Commons Sensing, Raghu N (Vrutti) and Vinuta Gopal (Asar Social Impact Advisors) examine the uneasy relationship between market systems and collective ownership, drawing on their work across value chains, climate finance, and community-led models.

Through real-world dilemmas and lived practice, the conversation asks a difficult question: Is it possible to bridge markets and commons without sacrificing equity, ecology, and community agency?

Share this episode with anyone working at the intersection of climate, markets, and policy. This podcast is dedicated to the custodians of India’s Commons… past, present and future.

CREDITS:

Created and hosted by: Kanchi Kohli

Produced by: Asar and Common Ground

Project coordinator: Prayag Arora-Desai T

eam Audiomatic: Avadhoot Khanolkar, Abhinav Nathani, Nitesh Juvale.

Recorded at Winterfox Podcast Studio, Bengaluru

Commons Sensing: Ep 01 – Grounding Commons Through Practice | Jagdeesh Rao Puppala & Huda Jaffer

What does “Commons” really mean, and why should this matter in our everyday lives?

In this opening episode of Commons Sensing, two of India’s leading practitioners – Jagdeesh Rao Puppala, CEO, Living Landscapes and convener, Common Ground Initiative, and Huda Jaffer, Director, SELCO Foundation, unpack the concept of the Commons and link them to the decades of work across forests, pastures, land tenure, energy access, and community institutions.

Through stories, failures, and hard-won insights, this conversation asks a vital question: Can commons-led approaches offer solutions where markets and states fall short? Subscribe for more conversations on climate, governance, and collective action.

This podcast is dedicated to the custodians of India’s Commons… past, present and future.

Podcast Trailer | CommonsSensing with Kanchi Kohli

What are “commons”? Why do they matter to our everyday lives?

Commons Sensing is a conversation podcast that brings the idea of Commons out of policy documents and academic debates, and into lived reality. From forests, water bodies, and grazing lands to energy, cities, and community spaces, Commons shape how people live, work, and survive.

In this five-part series, practitioners — who have through their work deepened the interconnections between communities, natural resources and collective action — reflect on their personal journeys with the Commons.

Through stories, practical experience, and grounded insight, we will explore how collective action, local knowledge, and community stewardship are central to addressing today’s biggest challenges: from land degradation to climate change, biodiversity loss, market complexities and livelihood insecurity. These conversations treat Commons not only as a challenge, but as solutions in the making: spaces where cooperation, shared responsibility, and innovative governance offer alternatives to extractive models of development.

Whether you’re new to the idea of Commons or work closely with them, we invite you to listen, reflect, and rethink how shared resources shape our lives. This podcast is dedicated to the custodians of India’s Commons… past, present and future.

Created and hosted by: Kanchi Kohli

Produced by: Asar and Common Ground

Project coordinator: Prayag Arora-Desai

Team Audiomatic: Avadhoot Khanolkar, Abhinav Nathani, Nitesh Juvale.

Recorded at Winterfox Podcast Studio, Bengaluru.

Share this powerful gallery of art and climate.