Local Appropriations of Developmental Imperatives: Notes from a Watershed Project in Odisha, Eastern India

On the basis of ethnographic fieldwork in a governmental watershed project in Odisha, Eastern India, this article argues that the intentions of the developmental state are not always translated transparently into the field. The intended beneficiaries and ground-level agents of this project act upon and use project structures and imperatives creatively by resorting to tactics such as lukibā [‘hiding’] and hurā [‘abuse’]. These sometimes result in equitable outcomes despite the project design, and its depoliticising imperatives. In the specific case(s) presented, structures and imperatives of the project are often mediated through vernacular ethical frameworks such as bhāg (rightful share).