ANHAD
4, Windsor Place, New Delhi [India]
e-mail: anhadinfo@yahoo.co.inApril 17, 2003
Dear Friends,
We had announced the formation of Anhad on March 20, 2003. In case the first letter/ e-mail did not reach you we are enclosing it again.
We also wish to inform you about our immediate action plan and seek your support in our endeavours. This is the plan mainly for Gujarat but Anhad plans to organize similar activities in other states beginning Rajasthan ( April), Andhra Pradesh ( April) , MP and Chattisgarh and Kashmir in near future.
1. Between April 20-31, 2003 , Anhad held consultations with representatives of over 300 groups/ ngos/ grass root movements and concerned citizens in Ahmedabad, Sanand, Himmatnagar, Surendranagar, Bharuch, Surat, Palanpur, Baroda, Godhra and Bhavnagar. The need to intellectually equip the grass root activist against the onslaught of the hate propaganda was expressed by majority of the people.
2. On April 10, 2003 over 50 people, mainly intellectuals, activists and concerned citizens met in Ahmedabad for a day long brain storming session to discuss the content and the design of the workshops.
3. Based on the need felt by the people as well as a very positive response from most of the districts , where meetings were held Anhad in collaboration with local organization has decided to organize 5 day residential training camps in 10 districts of Gujarat. Each camp would have 150-200 participants depending on the local demand. The camps would begin from May 15, 2003.
4. The proposed dates for the workshops are: Ahmedabad (May 15-19, 2003), Palanpur ( May 16-20, 2003), Himmat Nagar ( May 17-21, 2003), Surendranagar ( May 18-22, 2003), Bhavnagar ( May 19-23, 2003), Baroda ( May 20-24, 2003), Godhra ( May 21-25, 2003), Bharuch ( May 22-26, 2003), Surat ( May 23-27, 2003), Rajkot ( dates to be finalized).
It is also proposed that a group of 15 people from each workshop would be identified , who would then be trained in theatre, music for another 15 days. By the end of June 10 such cultural troupes would be ready to travel from village to village performing and forming youth clubs.
2. PeopleÇs Festival in Ahmedabad: The first phase of the training camps would be over by June end. It is proposed that On July 1st,2003 a major peopleÇs festival should be organized in Ahmedabad. July 1st is the death anniversary of Rajab Ali and Vasant, two young boys who wanted to intervene and stop the riots and were killed while trying to save the people.
3. Summer camps for children in Gujarat Villages : Anhad in association with Navsarjan plans to organize summer camps for the village children in Gujarat. In the first stage we will go to 50 villages identified by Navsarjan. The camps will be organized from June 1-30, 2003.
Anhad would mobilize 100 young students (2 per village), who would like to spend a month in a village , live with a family in the village and play, draw, sing, dance with the children. They can end up doing much more : building a cultural corner with local resources and the help of the villagers, mobilizing more friends to come later and take up some projects in the village, get involved in future Anhad, Navsarjan activities.
We are working on different ideas to intervene in the urban population specially students and women and would soon announce the more activities .
For the above work we urgently need:
1. Resource material (books, pamphlets, posters, audio, video cassettes) related to the following issues: materials on our plural cultural
tradition, inter-community relations, secular social and cultural
practices, songs which highlights our sense togetherness.
2. Your generous contributions : cheques/ drafts to be sent to Anhad, 4, Windsor Place, New Delhi-110001. I have committed almost 24 hrs and 365 days for the next three years to this work. I am assuming that friends will take the responsibility of raising the required resources for the work to continue. We do not take foreign funds.
3. 25 Volunteers: who are ready to spend about 15 days in Gujarat.
4. Resource persons: we are in the process of approaching them individually, but do get back to us if you want to contribute as a resource person.
We are also looking for colours/ paints/ crayons/ paper/ books for children/ snake and ladders/ ludos/ carom boards/ chess àplease use your imagination. We need to make 50 sets- one for each village. Paper and colours will have to be of course in plenty.
Those students who want to volunteer should come to the Anhad Office from Monday-Saturday 9.30am-6pm and register themselves.
Yours sincerely
Shabnam Hashmi
PS : Anhad Gujarat Office would start functioning full time from May 1, 2003. Address: Anhad, c/o Prashant , Near Kamdhenu Hall, Drive-in Road, Ahmedabad . e-mail : anhadgujarat@yahoo.co.in
My dates in Delhi are : approximately April 19- 29, 2003
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ANHAD
The urgency to intervene in defense of democracy, secularism and justice has never been more pressing than in the conditions prevailing in the country today. There is a recognizable change in the general tenure of public discourse; unlike in the past, it is informed more by the communal than by secular ethos. The prejudices against the minorities are widely shared as a result of motivated and sustained propaganda. Those who claim to be secular are forced on the back foot; some of them have increasingly become compromising or even silent. In the face of social mobilization attempted by communal organizations by invoking religious symbols and sentiments the civil society has come under a siege. Nevertheless, it is evident from the large number of secular democratic initiatives by political parties, voluntary organizations and individuals that the society is seized of the need for sustained and constructive action for strengthening secularism and democracy and for realising justice and peace. Their number and strength are not inconsequential. Yet, the communal appears to be poised to conquer. It is therefore necessary to energize the secular forces by a conscious regrouping and co-operation. ANHAD is intended to be a modest attempt in this direction.
ANHAD is neither a structured organization nor a movement capable of large-scale popular mobilisation. It would, however, try to combine the elements of both by collaborating with existing organizations and movements and by undertaking local level activities, by instituting small secular communities. The former would enable ANHAD to develop creative co-operation with peopleÇs organizations and social movements working in different areas of social, cultural and political concerns, the latter would open up for secular mobilisation the space hitherto uncolonised by communalism. There will be no formal membership; all are welcome to participate on a voluntary basis. The activities of ANHAD would be overseen by a working group and would be advised by a national committee of eminent citizens.
Like any other voluntary organisation the work of ANHAD would also evolve with experience. Yet, some areas have been identified for initial involvement. They are cultural action, social mobilisation, defense of civil liberties and work in the diaspora. The cultural action is conceived as intervention in daily life practices through popular and folk culture, syncretic and tolerance systems of faith and the building of communities invested in pluralism, while challenging hatred, obscurantism and superstition.
The social mobilisation would be attempted both through demonstrative actions like jathas and constructive work organized around youth and womenÇs clubs. The defense of civil liberties would include legal action for defending the rights of minorities, dalits, tribals and women. The work with the diaspora, particularly creating secular consciousness among them, assumes great importance in the light of the sustained communal propaganda among them. In short ANHAD would like to undertake grass root level activities, with the support and collaboration of the existing organizations wherever possible and if not, by initiating work on its own through volunteers. The emphasis is on constructive and continuous activity, which would create and sustain secular and democratic consciousness.
ANHAD would like to bring at least a major part of the country under its umbrella, which would obviously take quite some time to achieve. Therefore it would begin its activities in four states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgardh. During the course of the year Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka and Kashmir would be added. In all these states the endeavour would be to create a fraternity of secular activists who would through their interaction with the local people bring into being small secular communities for ensuring peace and social understanding. Each locality would have its own peculiarities in cultural practices and social relations, which would be given particular attention while organizing the activities of ANHAD.
ANHAD means without limits. We envisage it as an inclusive institution in which every one who stands for democracy, secularism, justice and peace can participate.
Become a friend of Anhad, a volunteer worker, a financial contributor, a resource person. There are a hundred ways of being a part of Anhad, it is for you to decide your role in this effort. Just remember one thing-now is the time to act, tomorrow may be too late.
KN Panikkar Shubha Mudgal Harsh Mander Shabnam Hashmi