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1. 'COMMUNALISM COMBAT':
*Started in August 1993, the monthly magazine presently has over 2,500 paid subscribers.
*Subscribers to 'Combat' are individuals or groups who are engaged in fighting communal
prejudice and communal politics in their respective areas. It includes anti-communal
Non Resident Indian groups in U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
*Articles published by 'Combat 'are often reproduced by mass circulation newspapers
in English, Hindi, Urdu, Marathi Gujarati and other regional languages. One of the
many examples of this was our exclusive interview (February. 1995) with Mr. Vibhuti
N. Rai, DIG, BSF, on the issue of commllnalism in the police force.
2. 'KHOJ'
(A programme to explore the roots of communal prejudice and to evolve a module for
secular education in schools)
Since August, 1994. a two member Sabrang team -- Teesta Setalvad and Feruzan Mehta
-- have been engaged in a weekly, one-period programme with students of standards
V, VI & VII of the Bornbay International School with the objective of exploring
and evolving educational means of removing prejudice among them. The programme emerged
out of the realisation of the school authorities that while they consciously maintained
a secular atmosphere in the school this did not prevent the surfacing of communal
prejudice among many of them during in the wake of the Bombay riots in Decermber,
1992-January, 1993. Sabrang sees this effort at Bombay International School as part
of a three-year-long programme to evolve a module which can be used by educationists
to clear the cobwebs of prejudice which cloud young minds.
3.PAK-INDIA PEOPLE'S FORUM FOR PEACE AND DEMOCRACY:
Teesta Setalvad was part of the core group from India for the Pakistan-lndia People's
Forum for Peace and Democracy. A dialogue involving 100 persons from each side held
in New Delhi in February, 1995 attracted a lot of favourable press attention in both
countries. The meet also received wide coverage in the intemational press. Sabrang
Communications is presently handling the responsibility of widening the base of the
forum in west India.
4. INTERVENTIONS THROUGH TRAINING WORKSHOPS / SEMINARS:
Through 'Communalisrn Combat', we have been able to establish contact and useful
working relationships with govemment and voluntary organisations in different parts
of the country which are also engaged in tackling prejudice and promoting communal
amity.
* Teesta Setalvad has been invited several times by the National Police Academy,
Hyderabad, to interact both with Indian Police Service (IPS) trainees and senior
officers in service on the problern of communal bias in the lndian police.
* Teesta Setalvad has also been asked to visit the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy, of
Adrninitration, Mussourie. (The training school of the Indian Governments senior
officer cadre)
* Both Javed Anand and Teesta Setalvad have been invited to present papers or act
as resource persons at workshops / seminars organised in different parts of the country.
* In June, 1995, Teesta was invited to be part of a 5-member team to visit Srinagar
for four days to look into the humanitarian dimension of the Kashmiri problem - -
collapse of educational and health services, near absence of social contact between
the ordinaly people of Kashmir and citizens from the rest of India. Teesta was invited
to give a keynote address at a national seminar on 'Women and Identity Politics'
organised by Sanchetna, an Ahmedabad-based woman's group. She has since been invited
to be part of a 15-member organising committee for a National meeting of Muslim Women
proposed to be held towards the end of 1995.
5. PUBLICATIONS:
* 'Wornen and the Hindu right':
'Kali for Women' is a reputed Delhi-based publishing house which brings our books
concerning the issue of women's rights. In 1993-94. Teesta was commissioned by Kali
to contribute a chapter to their forthcommg book on the growing appeal of Hindutva
and women's wings of RSS, BJP and Shiv Sena among women. The book is expected to
be ready for release soon. She has since been commissioned to write a separate book
on the growth of pro-Hindutva women's organisations in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
* Sabrang produced a booklet on "Saffron Myth Making" for Vikas Adhyayan
Kendra, a Bombay-based NGO. The booklet is meant for the use of secular activists
working at the grassroots level.
6. DOCUMENTATION ON COMMUNALISM, HUMAN RIGHTS AND GENDER JUSTICE:
From the beginning of our work in August, 1993, we have been doing extensive documentation
on the issues of communalism, human rights and gender justice. In a way, this remains
the core activity of Sabrang because it provides us the data base for all our other
activities.
7. INSAAN:
A forum of liberal-rational Muslims formed recently in Bombay to challenge the
voice of intolerance, bigotry, ultra-orthodoxy emanating from certain Muslim quarters
as also to counter the attempt of Hindutva to demonise the Muslim community.
Directors of Sabrang:
- Javed Anand (formerly deputy editor, 'The Sunday Observer')
- Teesta Setalvad ('PUCL Journalism for Human Rights Award, 1993; Chameli
Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Woman Joumalist, 1993 .
- Ghulam Mohammed Peshimam (businessman, philanthropist).
Contact Address:
SABRANG COMMUNICATIONS
& PUBLISHING PVT. LTD.
Post Box No. 28253, Juhu P.O., Juhu, Bombay 400 049, India.
Phone/Fax: 91 (22) 648 22 88
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