Writing Loktak: Thinking Water–Human Relationship in a Contested Fluid Space

Abstract

Scientifically, water is a chemical substance that emerged from a covalent bond of hydrogen and nitrogen. Physically, it is transparent, colourless, and odourless. It is a source of life, a biologically accepted fact although it does not provide any nutrients. Moving along these universally known characteristics of water, it has further myriad understanding in myriad contexts. It can be of cultural importance, a traditional practice ingredient, a religious component, a political dilemma, or an identity discourse. Water is not just fluid in terms of its nature but also fluid in how it is employed, deployed, accepted, and contested from different perspectives. It is conceived differently on how it is experienced, witnessed, and perceived. The article aims at understanding water through a littoral community in Loktak Lake. It seeks knowledge that is expressed through the littoral engagement with water and my whereabouts in the same environment.