We believe that if the Sahariya are trapped in an inescapable cycle where the systemic forces of state, the society, and market keep feeding into each other and forcing generation after generation to be trapped deeper and deeper into this cycle, then the solution must be to reverse the current cycle and build a new one.

A future towards self-determination and justice

This future is possible through internal awakening, collective strength and assertion for justice. The systemic forces want to reinstate the old cycle. To break it, the Sahariyas must challenge and reshape these relationships.

A community-led, diverse approach is the way forward:

Agency

If the old cycle systematically disempowers the Sahariya by stripping away their right to shape their own futures, paralysing their capacity to mobilise collective action, and forcing them into a rigged system where they are bound to lose no matter what…

… then a new cycle must systematically empower them to transform them from being the objects of others’ decisions into authors of their story, reclaiming the agency to shape their future based on their unique worldview, wisdom, and aspirations.

Where the Sahariyas take their own decisions

Dignity

If the old cycle systematically degrades the Sahariya's dignity by reducing them from citizens with constitutional rights to passive beneficiaries of vote-bank politics and transforming them into subjects of exploitation—where their value is measured only by their labour, not their humanity, and where their suffering becomes material for endless studies that yield no change...

...then a new cycle must systematically restore their dignity by affirming their full citizenship, ensuring their constitutional rights become lived experiences rather than empty promises, and creating conditions where they are respected not just for what they produce but for who they are—where their voice carries weight and their participation shapes outcomes that matter to their lives.

Where their voices carry weight

Identity

If the old cycle is systematically erasing their Adivasiyat by severing their sacred bond with Jal, Jungle, Jameen, displacing their traditional way of life, and pushing their cultural essence toward extinction...

...then a new cycle must systematically preserve and strengthen their cultural identity by reconnecting them with their roots, honouring their traditional knowledge systems, and creating spaces where their Adivasiyat is both acknowledged and celebrated as a living wisdom that enriches our collective heritage.

where their minimalistic ways are celebrated…

Meaning

If the old cycle systematically destroys meaning for the Sahariya by reinforcing fatalism where "nothing ever happens," creating a profound disbelief in the possibility of change, and eliminating any sense of meaningful alternatives—leaving them trapped in a narrative where hope itself becomes irrational and despair becomes the only reasonable response to their reality...

...then a new cycle must systematically create new meaning by transforming small victories into lived evidence that change is possible, building narratives where Sahariya agency becomes visible and celebrated, and cultivating spaces where alternatives can be not just imagined but enacted—where the words "nothing ever happens" give way to "we made this happen," and where hope becomes not just an emotion but a strategic resource for collective action.

Where they stand in pride…

Why we exist

Sehr exists to help Sahariyas build a future rooted in self-determination and justice.

At Sehr, we exist to facilitate the creation of this counter-cycle, an upward spiral which leads to self-determination and justice for the Sahariyas. Where every action deepens dignity, every structure restores agency, and every narrative makes awakening & liberation more imaginable, and more real.

Our response must do more than intervene in isolated moments. We exist not to patch the holes or heal the symptoms of the system, but to transform it

• Reclaiming identity: Protecting, healing and nurturing the Sahariya's Adivasiyat — their cultural essence, historical memory, and ecological knowledge — especially their sacred relationship to Jal, Jungle, Jameen that forms the foundation of who they are.

• Restoring dignity: Ensuring that their rights are not just written into law but lived experiences—through legal empowerment, community mobilisation, and shifting social attitudes that recognise their full citizenship.

• Rebuilding agency: Building leadership, creating networks of solidarity, and enabling the collective capacity to imagine, decide, and shape their own future according to their unique worldview and aspirations.

• Renewing meaning: Creating spaces where alternatives can be imagined and enacted, where small victories become lived evidence of possibilities, and where fatalism gives way to a profound belief in their power to create change.