September marks the one-year anniversary of the Quality, Equity, and Inclusiveness (QEI) initiative. This milestone is not only a significant moment for the QEI, but it also coincides with my own year-long journey as the visual documentation partner for this initiative. To reflect on this collective experience, we decided to redesign the QEI brochure to comprehensively capture everything we’ve accomplished over the past year.
As I sat down to begin redesigning the brochure at IIT Delhi, Dr. Raj Shankar Ghosh—well known for his love of acronyms—emphasized to me the importance of including what he calls “The 3Ps”: Partners, Platforms, and Publications. He spoke about the central role of partnerships in the QEI, and it was at that point that I couldn’t resist teasing him a little. With a mischievous tone, I asked, “Why do you always favor partnerships so much?” I was hoping to provoke a deeper response from him, but in his signature, slightly enigmatic way, Dr. Ghosh replied with just five words: “Alone is not an option.”
That’s all he said—simple yet profound. And as those five words lingered in the air, I felt the weight of their meaning sink in. They spoke about something fundamental, something deeply human, something that separates us from other animals: our capacity for thinking and reflecting. During my journey from Delhi back to Santiniketan, I found myself meditating on those words: alone is not an option. What do they really mean, especially in terms of partnerships? What do they reveal about our work and life as a whole?
This moment of reflection coincided with another personal milestone—September also marks a decade since I began my career in visual communication in medicine. Over the years, I have collaborated with various organizations, evolving from an academician to an independent consultant. My professional path has shifted from being a dedicated medical and scientific photographer to becoming a communication consultant in global public health. Throughout this journey, I’ve embraced what I call the “3-I’s”: Inconsistencies, Imperfections, and Impermanence. These have become central to my life and work, teaching me that change, though sometimes uncomfortable, is both inevitable and essential for growth.
This acceptance of inconsistency has also shaped my more recent interest in planetary health, as climate change increasingly impacts health systems and vulnerable populations. I’ve immersed myself—albeit inconsistently—in books like The Sixth Extinction, Climate Change and the Health of Nations, Climate Change and Health Sectors: Healing the World, The Forest Unseen, Indica, and The Hidden Life of Trees, along with Rabindranath Tagore’s The Religion of the Forest, part of his century-old work Creative Unity (written in 1922). Though penned over a hundred years ago, Tagore’s ideas about nature and spirituality in this collection feel remarkably contemporary even today, offering a timeless perspective on humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Through these readings, I have tried to deepen my understanding of the intricate, interconnected systems that sustain life on Earth.
As I tried to connect the scattered thoughts from these readings with Dr. Ghosh’s words—alone is not an option—I began to see partnerships in a new light, particularly from a natural perspective, especially from the context of The Forest Unseen and The Religion of the Forest. The very fabric of life on Earth deeply embeds partnerships; they are not merely a human construct. From the smallest cells to the grandest ecosystems, collaboration and interdependence are fundamental to survival.
One particular example that captivated me was the humble lichen. It’s easy to overlook; lichens, often seen as little more than a crust on rocks and trees, are living proof of the power of partnership. In fact, lichens have been embodying the wisdom of partnership for four hundred million years, long before humans ever walked the earth. They’re not one organism but two—a fungus and an alga (or sometimes a bacterium). The fungus creates a protective structure, while the alga captures sunlight and produces food through photosynthesis. Together, they form a symbiotic union that allows them to thrive in some of the harshest environments on the planet.
The beauty of lichens lies in their ability to adapt, not by force but by submission. The fungus surrenders its individuality, providing shelter and resources to its algal partner. In return, the alga provides sustenance. Their partnership allows them to survive where other organisms might fail—especially in places like the treeless Arctic, where winter dominates most of the year. The lichen’s strategy is one of quiet surrender; instead of fighting against the cold or clinging to water, they simply let the seasons dictate the pace of their lives. By giving up their independence, they gain resilience, thriving through their partnership.
More recently, researchers have discovered another fungus living in the tissues of lichens. Unlike the dominant fungal type, also known as Ascomycetes, the new fungus is a Basidiomycete that exists as single cells, more closely related to yeast. A survey has found these new fungal cells in 52 genera of lichens, raising the prospect of a previously undetected third partner in the ancient symbiosis.
But it’s not just lichens that teach us the value of partnership. The chloroplasts, which are the sun-catching pigments inside the algal cells that power photosynthesis, were once free-living bacteria themselves. About one and a half billion years ago, these bacteria took up residence inside the cells of algae and plants, giving up their independence in exchange for a role in the photosynthetic process. Similarly, mitochondria—the tiny powerhouses in the cells of all plants, animals, and fungi—were also once free-living bacteria. Over time, they gave up their individual existence to form a mutually beneficial relationship with the cells they now inhabit. This ancient surrender of individuality in favor of partnership allowed for the creation of complex life as we know it.
As I contemplated these natural collaborations, a story from the Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi came to mind. In the story, an old man is seen being swept about by a powerful waterfall, yet he emerges unharmed and calm. When asked how he survived, he explains that he did not fight the water—he surrendered to it, allowing it to carry him. “I accommodate myself to the water, not the water to me,” he said. This story, like the lichens’ symbiosis, speaks to the strength found in letting go and in trusting the process instead of striving for control. It also warns against humanity’s hubris in thinking we can “manage” nature. In our pursuit of becoming Homo deus, we risk forgetting that we are part of nature, not its rulers.
The wisdom in Zhuangzi’s story and the allegory of the lichens, chloroplasts, and mitochondria point to the same truth: in life and in partnerships, there is strength in trust and submission. True collaboration requires us to let go of the need to dominate, to control, or to stand alone. It necessitates that we trust both the process and our partners.
This idea of partnership is equally relevant in public health programs. Sometime, such programs face obstacles due to power dynamics and political challenges, with the core focus—the Public—frequently being overlooked. But if we adopt the lichen’s approach—where no partner seeks to dominate and each surrenders something of themselves for the greater good—we might just find a way forward that is more sustainable and effective. Since lichens have abandoned individual identity, they have transcended oppressor-oppressed conflict. There is no victor or victim, just a harmonious union that benefits both.
At the heart of this lies one simple but powerful word: trust. Trust in our partners, trust in the process, trust in the natural flow of things. It’s a lesson that nature teaches us again and again, if we are willing to listen. And as Dr. Raj Shankar Ghosh so succinctly put it, “alone is not an option.” We need partnerships—in nature, in health, and in life—if we are to thrive.
About the cover image: The young, skilled tree climbers from Santiniketan Sishutirtha Ashram (the orphanage) are joyfully helping their peers from Santiniketan Sishutirtha School to learn the art of climbing, sharing not only their expertise but also the excitement of adventure.