Ashwani Sharma

Ashwani Sharma is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Anthropology, South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University; co-supervision with Yale University, USA. Mr. Sharma's diverse academic and professional background spans physical & social sciences, and extensive teaching and fieldwork experience equip him to deliver a nuanced understanding of his field. Mr. Sharma conducted an Ethnographic study of the Bastar tribes, during 2017-18, focusing on the socio-political aspects of the Muria, Madia, Gond, and Halba tribes in relation to the forest, biodiversity, and the state. He also carried out an Ethnographic Study of Borderland Communities during 2022–2023. As the Convenor of the Nai-Dishayen program and the designer of the Nomadic Festival, Mr. Sharma has actively worked to preserve and promote the indigenous knowledge of nomadic communities since 2018. Mr. Sharma was involved in drafting the first Nomadic Policy for the State Government of Rajasthan (2022–2023), reflecting his deep understanding of the needs and challenges faced by nomadic communities. A prolific writer of popular articles, Mr. Sharma enjoys traveling, engaging with animals, living among tribal communities, and immersing himself in their lifestyle as part of his personal and professional interests.

Resilience in Motion: Landscape, Mobility, and Healing Practices among the Kalbeliya Nomads of the Thar Desert

This doctoral research project investigates the interconnections between environmental transformation, mobility, and indigenous healing among the Kalbeliya nomads of Rajasthan’s Thar   Desert. In the face of desertification, climate stress, and increasing socio-political marginalization, the Kalbeliya communities continue to practice mobile lifestyles and deploy indigenous healing practices. Despite being highly adaptive, Kalbeliya healing practices are excluded from formal health and environmental planning frameworks, leading to a dual burden of invisibility and dispossession. This research addresses this critical gap by bringing indigenous health ecologies into the domain of resilience studies and political ecology, challenging dominant frameworks of adaptation and development. Guided by theories from Medical Anthropology and Political Ecology, the project explores how healing practices, ecological knowledge, and ritual mobility work together to foster adaptation and resilience in the face of socio-environmental change.

Mr. Sharma has delivered public lectures across India on topics such as desert ecology, nomadism, and cultural diversity. He has taught classes in sociology, anthropology, and desert ecology at Delhi- and Jaipur-based IAS Training Institutes, preparing students for administrative and academic careers. He has also conducted interactive workshops and sessions at the Tribal Museum, Bhopal, SPIPA (Ahmedabad) and the Police Training Academy, Raipur, emphasizing the life, culture, and practices of marginalized communities.

Teaching "Wandering Worlds: Nomadic Cultures of the Thar Desert" Summer Semester 2025 | South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University

Monographs

• Kalbeliya Nomadic Community, Tribal Museum, Bhopal (Government of Madhya Pradesh), 2021.
• Rebari Pastoralist Community, Tribal Museum, Bhopal (Government of Madhya Pradesh), 2023.
• Dying Arts of Nomadic Communities of Rajasthan, Ministry of Art, and Culture (Government of Rajasthan), 2023.

Research Papers:

• “Search of Gandhi in the Nomadic Community.” Ansi Journals, January 2019.
• “Gandhi ka Bharat or Ghumantu Samuday." Cultural Magazine and Daily Newspaper, February 2020.
• "Kalbeliya Traditions and Modernity." Chaumasa Magazine, February 2021. (Tribal Museum, Bhopal)
• "Bahurupiya's Art and Characters." Chaumasa Magazine, October 2021. (Tribal Museum, Bhopal)
• "Kalbeliya's Healing Practices." Chaumasa Magazine, September 2022. (Tribal Museum, Bhopal)

Recent Talks and Conferences:

• “Healing on the Heels: Bhariya Tribal Culture and Their Healing Practices.” Delivered as the first lecture of the Medical Anthropology Forum, Summer Semester 2025, organized by the South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, on Monday, June 23, 2025.
• “Moving to Heal: Why Mobility is Central to Nomadic Healing Practices.” Delivered the first lecture of the Medical Anthropology Forum, Winter Semester 2024–25, organized by the South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, on Tuesday, November 26, 2024.
• “The Healing Traditions of Nomadic Communities in the Thar Desert.” Delivered the first lecture of the Medical Anthropology Forum, Summer Semester 2024, organized by the South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, on Tuesday, May 14, 2024.
• Delivered the keynote address “Devlok” during a three-day conference organized by the Tribal Museum, Bhopal (Government of Madhya Pradesh), September 2022.
• Presented on Bhopa and Bhat nomadic communities: “The Storyteller and Oral Historian,” at the Tribal Museum, Bhopal (Government of Madhya Pradesh), August 30–31, 2022.

Conferences:

• Presented a paper titled "Disenchantment of Tourism: A Case Study of Kalbeliya Folk Dance" at a two-day conference organized by the South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, held on February 5–6, 2025.
• Participated in a roundtable conference "Southern Theorizing for South Asia," organized by the South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, October 2023.
• Convenor of "Bio-Medicine and Traditional Healers: Healing, Criminalization, and Livelihood," held in Jhalana, Jaipur, on May 17, 2021.
• Coordinated a 10-day workshop "Nispandan" at the Tribal Museum, Bhopal, highlighting the life, culture, and art of the Kalbeliya community, August 26–September 4, 2021.

Ashwani Sharma

Doctoral Researcher
Department of Anthropology
South Asia Institute, Universität Heidelberg
Voßstraße 2 Building 4130
D-69115 Heidelberg 
Room: 130.03.10

Email: Ashwani.sharma@stud.uni-heidelberg.de
            kabirvbharti@gmail.com