Calendar of events  

November 8, 2006

India Social Forum Events with ActionAid and Partners (November 10-13, 2006)

ActionAid and partners join cultural ambassadors, community activists and compelling speakers at India Social Forum to share experiences and host debates and workshops on major social issues. Programme includes:

• Endangered Livelihoods (11 Nov, 4-7pm, Hall P2)
• Right to education and ‘Common School System’ (12 Nov, 9am-12.30pm, Hall P4)
• HIV/AIDS and Positive Living (various – see events table below)
• Rights of Unorganised Sector Workers (various – see table)
• Peace, justice and minority rights (various – see table)
• Displacement & Tribal Rights (various – see table)
• Rights of Coastal Communities (10 Nov, 4-7pm, Hall M4)

CULTURAL PROGRAMME: ‘Kabir Concert’

6-11pm, 11 Nov, Exhibition Ground, Nehru Stadium, Lodhi Road , New Delhi

Enjoy a unique mix of music – from Sufi to Sugam and Rock – inspired by the spirit of dissent and democracy.

Music: 

• A taste of the forthcoming album by Palash Sen who lends his soulful voice to the lyrics of HIV positive youth, Ricky Tombing
• Youth rock band ‘Manthan’ brings alive Sufi songs
• Rafiq Warsi and Qawwals from Gujarat with renditions of Wali Dakhani and Amir Khusro. These dedicated Sufi singers bring a distinct message of peace and communal harmony.
• The captivating voice and unique style of Vidya Shah evokes peoples' aspirations.
• Songs of resistance by Hirawal, performers from Patna . At the ISF, Hirawal will sing revolutionary songs penned by Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
• Dhruv Sangari, a young Sufi singer full of passion and commitment
• Folk and Sufi artist Rehan Abbas from Delhi
• Nirguna singer Naresh Kumar is well known in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal for his renditions of Kabir’s poems.
• Shabir Ahmed and group with Kashmiri songs of desires and dreams.

Dance: Manipur’s Senapati District Network of Positive People present Kuki dance and ‘Circle of Life’ ballet. (Cultural evening on 11 Nov plus daytime performances)  

Theatre: ‘Munnabhai and Circuit’ – mobile duo that will entertain, confound and provoke you as mundane realities fade into oblivion. (Performances throughout ISF)

EVENT DETAILS:

Endangered Livelihoods   (11 Nov, 9am-12pm, Hall P2)

Farmers, weavers, artisans, mill workers and fishing and tribal communities are losing their homes and occupations in the wake of economic policies that put profits before lives and livelihoods. In this seminar organised by ActionAid, those affected reveal how resistance is growing:

Farmers from Vidharbha – the cotton-growing region of Maharashtra where more than 1000 farmers have killed themselves since June 2005 – discuss what the future holds. They are joined by Journalist Sachin Jain speaking on the agrarian crisis.

Kerala Fisher Folk Federation representative reports on the impact of displacement on families and communities uprooted by big business interests. And from Gharsana, Rajasthan a farmer shares the latest in their struggle for irrigation (recent protests have been met by police violence).

The People's Vigilance Committee for Human Rights outlines challenges faced by weavers in Uttar Pradesh where death from starvation is on the rise. Finally, Professor Jayati Ghosh examines ‘exploitative policies of the neo-liberal system’.  

Right to education and ‘Common School System’ (12 Nov, 9am-12.30pm, Hall P4)

More than 50 per cent of Indian school children drop out before completing eight years. Most are from depressed rural areas and urban slums, a disproportionate number are girls.

This group deserves special attention, not only in policy and planning but at implementation stage. Alternative strategies like open schooling and non-formal education are being tried and tested. The ‘common school system’ is one such scheme that communities and activists are demanding of the government. They hope this new breakthrough system will extend the reach of elementary education to ‘all'.

Join a forum of 500 people from around the country with Prof. Anil Sadgopal, member of the committee on Central Advisory Board of Education, who will discuss the Right to Education Bill. Other speakers include Prof Shanta Sinha, speaking on education and child labour and Avani Baral from the Orissa Teachers’ Union .

Organisers/partners: People’s Campaign for Common School System. Institute of Human Rights Education

HIV/AIDS and Positive Living (various – see below)

Gender inequality combined with HIV/AIDS is fuelling an economic and social crisis. Women and their children are denied rights to property and even shelter after the death of a male member.

Discrimination at health care centers is also rampant. Treatment is often refused or delayed, and doctors and nurses think little of disclosing HIV status without the patient’s consent.

Access to quality, affordable anti-retroviral drugs is still far from reality for most people living with HIV/AIDS. Atrocities by the police who criminalise sex work make it difficult for NGOs to offer information and services to vulnerable groups.

Participate in the Positive People’s Assembly (11 Nov, 9am-3.30pm, Hall M12) where HIV+ people from around the world will voice their concerns, demands and successes.

Share the platform with Rainbow Planet – a coalition that works for the rights of sex workers and sexuality minorities including hijras, kothis, gay and transgender people (10 Nov, 12.30-3.30pm, Hall C2 and 11 Nov, 4-7pm, Hall P3).

Discuss the latest on access to treatment with the Human Rights Law Network (11 Nov, 12.30-3.30pm, Hall S2) and take part a workshop on affordable medicines hosted by Medicine Sans Frontiers, People’s Health Movement, Lawyers Collective and ActionAid (11 Nov, 9am-12pm, Hall S6).

Centre for Youth Development and Activities focuses on the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS (10 Nov, 12.30-3.30pm, Hall S2). CYDA will also present the ‘Stepping Stones Methodology’ – a revolutionary communications training kit geared towards behavior change for HIV prevention (13 Nov, 9am-12pm, Hall M4).

Rights of Unorganised Sector Workers (various – see below)

There are 37 crore (370 million) unorganised workers in India , several crore of whom are women. While the sector accounts for 65% of national income (GDP), the labour that constitutes it is grossly neglected and unprotected. Bonded labour, child labour, exploitation of women labourers, poverty and deprivation prevail.

As the unorganised workforce swells with the boom in urban construction, the need for laws to provide social security cover and regulate and protect income and livelihoods becomes ever more pressing.

‘Asangathit Mazdoor Abhiyan’ – a session hosted by National Campaign Committee for Unorganised Sector Workers, Bal Vikas Dhara, ActionAid and Volunteers for Social Justice addresses rights and entitlements of ALL groups of workers in the sector. (10 Nov 4-7pm, P4).

Special sessions focus on the rights and voices of particular worker’s groups:

Construction workers (10 Nov, 12.30-3.30pm, Hall P3)

Agriculture workers (10 Nov, 1-4pm, Hall M13)

Rag pickers (11 Nov, 9am-12pm, Hall M5)

Domestic workers (12 Nov, 9am-12pm, M11)

Peace, justice and minority rights (various – see below)

Communal forces continue to tear at the plural fabric of Indian society. Their divisive politics threatens peace and harmony between different communities.

Dialogue and debate between policymakers, academicians, ordinary people and religious leaders is needed to comprehend the threat posed by extreme groups and engage in meaningful peace building and development initiatives.

At a seminar on ‘Democratic Rights of Muslims’ (10 Nov, 9-12pm, Hall M2), Niyaz Banu Ballumiya a survivor the 2002 Gujarat riots, Sabir Ali of Souhard, Rajasthan and Afreen Banu, a victim of the draconian POTA law, share their stories.

Professor Imtiyaz Ahmed outlines the contemporary condition of Muslims in India . Dr Jimmy Dabhi deliberates on the socio-economic status of the community. And Ms. Naish Hasan of Tehreek in Lucknow speaks on the rights of the Muslim women.

At ‘Dialogue for Peace’ (Sunday 12 Nov, 4-7pm, Hall M6) Dr Ram Puniyani of Ekta speaks on communal harmony in India and columnist Praful Bidwai looks at prospects of peace in South Asia. Peace activists from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh share their experiences before opening up the discussion.

Organisers/partners: Aman Samudaya, Manav Adhikar Sandharbh Kendra, People’s Research Society and Taha Welfare and Educational Society and Tehreek.

In ‘Assault on Secular Democracy in Contemporary India’ (12 Nov, 9am-12pm, Hall P2) Guahar Raza, addresses the ‘threat to Indian democracy’. Sudhir Chandra discusses the ‘Shrinking Space Within’. Dr Harshvardhan Hegde and Zakia Jowher present impressions of Gujarat ‘then and now’.

Prof. Akoijam Bimol describes the attack on democratic rights in Manipur. Gowhar Fazili and Yusuf Tarigami explore challenges and solutions in Kashmir . And Harsh Kapoor proposes ‘redefining the agenda for secular political activism’.

Organisers/partners: Anhad and Aman Samudaya

Displacement & Tribal Rights (various – see below)

Forcible acquisition of tribal land for the development of mining industry and dams calls for urgent documentation and critique.

Instances abound. Vedanta Resources, the FTSE-100 company, faces criticism over a £400m project in the Lanjigarh area of Orissa, where it is developing an aluminum refinery and plans to build a bauxite mine.

Tribal communities are being displaced from their forest homes - a move they say will destroy their way of life, despite Vedanta’s claims that the relocation programme will provide homes schooling and jobs.

Elsewhere in Orissa in Kalinganagar, 12 Adivasi people were shot dead by the police when they had gathered to protest the usurpation of their land by Tata Steel.

Take part in workshop on ‘present and future scenarios for non-pastoral nomads in India ’ organised by Samvedana, Econet and EIN. (11 Nov, 9:30am-3:30pm, Hall M8)

‘Adivasi Samvad’ – a seminar on indigenous voices and struggles kicks off with a street play and is followed by tribal groups sharing experience of their struggles. (Sat 11 November, 4 pm to 7 pm in Hall M12)

Livelihood struggles of Coastal Communities (11 Nov, 4-7pm, Hall M8)

Communities who face losing coastal land in the wake of the tsunami, or through policies that favour commercial developments over local livelihoods, are challenging attempts by authorities’ to stop them living by the sea and fishing in traditional areas.

Hear the latest on the impact of the Coastal Regulation Zone management and private port developments and growing resistance by fishing unions and women fish worker groups.

Organiser/partner: People’s Campaign on Coastal Rights

EVENTS AT GLANCE:

ENDS