Summary
- While global leaders are in quest of climate action strategies, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's visit in Siej Village of Meghalaya, famous for its living root bridges, highlights importance of Indigenous knowledge
East Khasi Hills (Meghalaya), July 13:
In the dense green hills of Meghalaya, indigenous knowledge continues to shape some of India’s most inspiring models of ecological sustainability.
The living root bridges of Siej village, nurtured and preserved by generations of tribal communities, stand not only as engineering marvels but as living examples of coexistence with nature.
These botanical structures, crafted by guiding the roots of rubber fig trees across rivers and streams, have enabled villagers to move freely through the region’s rugged terrain for more than a century—without cutting a single tree. This practice exemplifies how indigenous people have long developed nature-aligned solutions to meet daily needs without disrupting the ecosystem.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who visited the site as part of her tour in the East Khasi Hills, acknowledged the wisdom embedded in these traditions. During her interaction with local elders and participants of the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) programme, she highlighted how the community’s practices align with today’s global sustainability goals.
The PES initiative, backed by international organizations such as the World Bank, KFW, and the Asian Development Bank, aims to reward local stakeholders who actively preserve biodiversity and ecological assets. For the people of Siej, however, such conservation is not a new obligation—it is an inherited way of life.
“The bridges you have grown are more than structures—they are symbols of your relationship with the land,” Sitharaman told the community members, commending their ongoing efforts to document this legacy and seek UNESCO recognition.
Elders in the village, who have spent decades tending to the roots, embody this intergenerational commitment. Their role in passing on ecological wisdom to younger generations ensures that sustainability remains a lived experience rather than an abstract goal.
As global leaders search for climate solutions, the indigenous communities of Meghalaya are proving that ancient practices can still offer the answers. Their sustainable engineering, grounded in observation and patience, contrasts sharply with exploitative models of development that have led to environmental degradation elsewhere.
Smt @nsitharaman visited the iconic living root bridge during her visit to Siej Village in Meghalaya.
The Hon’ble Finance Minister interacted with local elders preserving this unique bio-engineered wonder.
The Living Root Bridge is woven entirely from the aerial roots of rubber… pic.twitter.com/A2eI8mB5qi
— Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) July 12, 2025
During her visit, Sitharaman emphasized that India’s border villages like Sohbar, which she toured under the Vibrant Villages Programme, deserve targeted investment—not just for security, but for their role in preserving culture and ecosystems at the country’s edges.
The second phase of the Vibrant Villages Programme will now extend to the eastern borders, including remote areas of Meghalaya. In Sohbar, Sitharaman announced specific developmental interventions—improved roads, enhanced telecom and digital networks, expanded TV access, and better electricity supply—to support these remote communities.
But even amid promises of modern infrastructure, the focus in Siej and surrounding villages remains on preserving the environmental ethics that have guided them for centuries.
What emerges from this visit is a powerful reminder: that the path to a greener future may well lie in the past—and in the custodianship of communities who never abandoned nature in the first place. (Edited)
