Barefoot Academy Of Governance

The Barefoot Academy of Governance is an initiative to democratise the process of governance and ensure a secure, sustainable future for the unreached. Our present day systems echo the governance structures of the past. Government still exists as separate from community; officials within government processes often think of themselves and are thought of as outsiders, and local populations carry a deep suspicion and disillusionment of government. In our challenge to democratise governance, the first step is to address the mental constructs surrounding the notion of governance. Any attempt at democratising governance systems and transforming them to imbibe democratic mores of equity and egalitarianism, justice and integrity, inclusiveness and transparency, which does not address these deeply entrenched cultural and mentally internalised models is doomed to failure. Through our work with local communities and government structures, we turned to the Tamil concept of ‘Koodam’ as a tool to reconstruct the community and create a space for community energy to evolve and take action to reform governance. The Koodam is our model for community dialogue and decision making, which draws upon a cultural practice prevalent within communities for millennia. ‘Koodam’ is a Tamil word literally meaning ‘gathering place’, however the cultural idea holds far greater value in the governance paradigm. As a concept and cultural practice, the Koodam recognizes the division of people based on several criteria such as caste, gender, education etc, in social contexts. However, within the Koodam, all members are recognized as equal stakeholders of the community, allowing for multiple and contradictory positions to be reconciled in the course of dialogue and discussion. The Koodam operates from a mutual sense of equity, and a Dharmic principle to establish what is best for the community at large and not any one particular individual.