Kohima: Nagaland University hosted an awareness event on November 6 to address water and energy conservation. Dr. Sandeep Gupta, Associate Professor of Sociology, delivered the keynote lecture to students, faculty, and staff. The event coincided with the BRICS Sustainable Lifestyle Week as part of India's 2026 BRICS Chairship.
Gupta argued that natural assets reflect existing power structures rather than personal choices. He claimed that "distribution is deeply intertwined with social power, infrastructure quality and institutional frameworks, leading to sharp inequalities between rural and urban populations as well as affluent neighbourhoods and informal settlements."
Resource management hits the poor hardest. Wealthy residents rely on private groundwater when institutional systems fail. Meanwhile, traditional patriarchal structures force women to travel long distances for water. Gupta noted that high-income households consume more energy through climate control and multiple electronic devices. Global dynamics mirror these local patterns as wealthy nations push conservation burdens onto developing states.
The lecture highlighted a disparity in disaster resilience. Wealthy populations use seismic-resistant technology, leaving marginalized communities vulnerable to floods and degradation. Gupta urged students to look past individual utility bills and instead focus on structural empathy. He pointed to Nagaland's indigenous hunting bans as effective models for living within actual needs. The department followed the talk with a student slogan contest, with winners to be announced later.
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