Bengaluru is a landlocked city with no perennial river. Yet, its network of human-made lakes and tanks made it possible for the city to be settled, to grow, and to eventually thrive into the cosmopolitan hub that it is today. However, along this trajectory of urban development, many water bodies that were once integral to the landscape have been lost, while others have become severely degraded.

But water holds memories. Each summer, as water scarcity looms, or during monsoon floods, conversations about the state of our lakes and tanks resurface — often as laments. Yet, beyond these moments of crisis, water also holds cultural and social memories. For many residents, especially in the city’s peripheries, lakes and tanks continue to shape community life, rituals, and identities on an everyday basis.

How then can we redefine our relationship with water in the city? How can we remain invested in protecting Bengaluru’s lakes and tanks—not merely as infrastructure, but as living urban commons that sustain both ecological and social life? This talk by Seema Mundoli uses the lens of the urban commons to explore these questions.

RSVP Here