Sangams or physical gatherings bring together organizations, individuals, networks and movements who have worked at practical or conceptual levels on alternatives to mainstream development. These are organized either regionally (at State, district or ecoregional level) or thematically (e.g. energy, food, health, democracy for example) and to date 20 Sangams have been held. During these confluences, there is a lot of sharing of experiences, perspectives, dialogue and collective visioning.

At the first Sangam in 2014, Kalpavriksh – an environment action group – introduced a note “In Search of Alternatives: Key Aspects and Principles” for discussion. This note, which has been discussed and inputted into almost all the subsequent Sangams, is evolving and is a synthesis of the understanding of the key principles and strategies emerging in a myriad of grassroots initiatives. Thus, it provides a framework of overlapping spheres of transformation that these initiatives embody.