Lakes and other urban water bodies have become commonplace as omens of urban futures in Indian cities. From the frothing lakes of Bengaluru, to the flood-prone nalas of Hyderabad, to the volatile coasts of seaside cities like Mumbai and Chennai, urban waters are uniquely characterized by flux and fluidity and are sites of ongoing life-making, competing meaning-making, and aspirational property-making. Hyderabad (India) is a city of lakes and streams, despite its reputation for being an arid place. Hyderabad’s lakes tell many stories; historical and cultural ; political, legal and economic ; and infrastructural and ecological . This collaborative project with Pullanna Vidyapogu examines the lakes as multivalent multi-dimensional geographies. We especially pay attention to lakes as caste geographies and as sites of accumulation.
Vidyapogu, Pullanna, and Indivar Jonnalagadda. 2023. “Cultural Ecologies of Urban Lakes: The Bathukamma Festival, Caste Associations, and Resource Claims in Hyderabad,” Economic & Political Weekly Review of Urban Affairs 58 (8): 57-61.