Amche Mollem Campaign Showcases Forest Stories Through Interactive Exhibit”

Team Goemkarponn
Mapusa: In 2020, three major linear infrastructure projects were proposed to pass through two of Goa’s most critical Protected Areas — Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park. These included a highway expansion, double-tracking of a railway line, and a power transmission line. In response, the Amche Mollem campaign was launched, combining art, science, citizen activism, and legal action to oppose these developments and safeguard Goa’s largest Protected Area.
The campaign mobilised communities across the state, documenting not just the rich biodiversity of Mollem’s forests but also capturing the deep cultural and emotional ties locals share with these wild spaces. By doing so, it challenged the narrative presented in official project proposals and environmental impact assessments, which often downplayed the ecological and social significance of the forests.
Five years on, the Amche Mollem movement remains strong, as threats from the proposed projects — particularly the Goa Tamnar Transmission Project — continue to loom.
To celebrate and reflect on this journey, the campaign recently launched an interactive exhibition at Arthshila, Nachinola, as part of a larger showcase on counter-narratives of justice hosted by Kaghazi Pairahan. Open since March 22, the Mollem exhibit tells the story of the forest and the ongoing resistance through an engaging activity table, an interactive map, and a zine library.
At the heart of the exhibit lies a community table brimming with activity sheets, illustrated timelines, and zines documenting the past year of the campaign. Visitors are encouraged to read, reflect, and contribute their own memories and reflections, building a living archive of resistance, resilience, and ecological wisdom.
One part of the exhibit spotlights the Goa Tamnar Transmission Project, which stretches from Mollem to Colvale, impacting multiple villages along its route. A detailed map displays the two Protected Areas at one end, and the villages of Aldona, Corjuem, Tivim, and Colvale at the other. Unlike the sterile survey maps used in project reports, the exhibit invites citizens to add personal memories, stories, and experiences connected to these landscapes — highlighting what stands to be lost in the name of ‘development.’
Through this initiative, the exhibit creates a vibrant “community map” that values the cultural, ecological, and emotional wealth of the land, in contrast to the dry official documentation.
The zine library and collaborative mapping project will be open for the next month. Citizens are encouraged to visit, immerse themselves in the stories of the forest, and add their voices to the living archive. Those unable to attend in person can still contribute memories, stories, or photographs from the villages of Aldona, Corjuem, Tivim, and Colvale by reaching out to the Amche Mollem team.