ABSTRACT
This chapter examines that the water philosophy and practices of Rajasthan – as rediscovered, portrayed and interpreted by the Indian Gandhian activist and author Anupam Mishra – is rooted in traditional indigenous knowledge and in an ethical-spiritual worldview. This water ethics and worldview supports highly successful water practices, which enabled Rajasthani society and culture to thrive in the arid Thar Desert. Water ethics discourse evolved when scholars began to consider injustices, inequalities and inequities pertaining to water distribution and usage, as well as issues regarding water pollution and conservation. According to Mishra: 'The people of Rajasthan scaled the peaks of trade, culture, art and standard of living because of the depth of their philosophy of life. This philosophy gave a special space to water'. The chapter argues that this philosophy, as interpreted by Mishra, is a unique example of a virtue water ethic, intimately linked with traditional ecological knowledge (TEK).
