In nature, like a circle, every point leads to another, and eventually back to itself.
At Hyderabad Collective, white fig trees grow out of granite rocks. The roots fill up the cracks to anchor themselves. These trees bear a mild, honey-sweet flavoured, creamy-textured fruit, which the birds love to eat. These birds carry the seeds between the cracks, and more white fig trees grow out of rocks. Nothing here is independent. Like a circle, every point leads to another, and eventually back to itself. Benefits and responsibilities don’t travel in a linear direction; it circulates.
This circular movement changes systems over time. Soil retains more water, stays cooler, and becomes more hospitable. That creates the conditions for biodiversity to thrive: more birds, more worms, more grasses, more plants. At this point, the flywheel begins: small gains start compounding, and the effects carry across generations. This is the “circle of life”.
White fig trees growing out of granite rocks at Hyderabad Collective.
We are not so different. Every member within Beforest will depend on the efforts of the previous and future members. Now, this can feel demanding. It is easier to act alone, to decide without waiting, to move in a straight line. But straight lines, over time, drift away from their origins, unlike a circle that brings you back. Circles make consequences harder to ignore and the benefits inevitable. Our actions as a Collective will have consequences for the ecosystems we have regenerated, and the more we care, the more it will take care of us and itself.
Another thing about a circle is that every point is looking towards every other, and so this allows signals to travel quickly and visibly. In nature, we notice this easily. If the soil quality or water levels are affected, the food we grow suffers. Living in nature makes you aware of the signals, and hence there are fewer blind spots. Similarly, when we are engaged with each other, we begin to notice shifts, the effort, care, and withdrawal and act on them together. We look out for each other, as we are looking towards each other. Trust builds not just from intention, but from this constant visibility.
But you know where the magic lies? A circle can keep on expanding without breaking. We can make space for more members, more forms of life, more ways of participating. Every day, we are becoming more resilient. The fundamental importance of coexistence cannot be overstated. This is the “circle of life.” Life depends on return paths. The idea sits at the core of our logo.
Beforest’s logo has the circle in the “b” . It completes a full cycle before giving rise to a leaf, visually capturing the moment where return enables renewal.
