The Rabaris or ‘Rah-Bari’ (Path Makers) of Kutch, Gujarat

This chapter is based on ethnographic research conducted in a coastal village in Gujarat inhabited by the Rabaris, a pastoral community known for grazing their camels in the region’s open common land. The common land resources have been taken over for development and infrastructure projects, removing unhindered access to grazing lands and routes. Development projects that now stand on the common land and were once the grazing areas for Rabari cattle employ many of the locals as casual labourers. Pastoral communities, primarily dependent on commons for grazing, such as the Rabaris, struggle to survive this situation. Due to the lack of space for open grazing, they cannot keep camels, their life support. Most migratory routes for camel grazing are either closed or extremely degraded. Many of them continue rearing cattle by stall feeding. However, even as they adapt to the transformed landscape, they continue to uphold the nomadic way of life. The camel remains the wellspring of their new life as they hold on to their memories and select practices to retain their sense of self and community. The chapter illustrates how they reflect on the changing circumstances and way of life and how they continue to dissent against the fencing of commons in their everyday contexts.