Culture, Politics and Economics of South Asian Migration (Nov 24-26, 2010)
India Study Circle
June 19th – July 17th 2010
Panchmarhi, Madhya Pradesh, India
This interdisciplinary study circle brings together scholars, students and social movement activists concerned with better understanding the dynamics of various regions of India. Established authorities on Central India, North India, the Deccan & South India, and the North-east will lead the study circle. The purpose of the study circle is to arrive at a useful understanding of India that makes sense of its geographical complexity. A textured approach is deemed essential, since the subcontinent is remarkable for its distinctive regional formations, wherein many so-called ‘secular’ trends, social relations, et cetera, exhibit important spatial variation. The organisers posit that there can be no definitive all-India perspective/history, without an indulgence in reductionism. An emphasis will thus be upon comprehending the dynamics of significant territorial swathes of India that are relatively marginalised in existing scholarship. (Eastern and Western India are hence absent from this programme, as developed research exists on these zones.)
The study circle will run for 4 weeks, with each week dedicated to a separate region. University scholars and pro-people researchers will take turns in leading the study circle according to their regional specialisation. Each will elaborate upon: (1) the historical geographical traditions/writings of their region; (2) an important theme of their expertise (e.g. on patriarchy in India); (3) their on-going research and political concerns. A full day each week will be set aside for discusson of the expert presentations, and readings. Weekends will be for informal meetings, documentary screenings and fieldtrips. A complete reading list will be circulated to participants beforehand. Hard copies of the most essential readings will be provided on arrival.
Topics covered will include, but not be limited to: adivasis; patriarchy; caste; class; region; ecological processes; approaches to historical-geographical writing. It is the opinion of the organisers that the gathering will be of interest to all concerned for the production of empirically substantiated pro-people studies.
The venue will be Panchmarhi, Madhya Pradesh. This is a cool and scenic hill station, near Bhopal. The locale has been chosen for two reasons. First, it lies at the heart of the subcontinent – spatially and historically. It has a continuous record of settlement from the Stone Age to present. Evidence of different incurring civilisations in India – Megalithic, Vedic, Buddhist, Moghul, colonial, and the post-1947 state formation – are all found layered in this area. Second, the political-geographical location provides an opportunity to meet with scholars, students and activists from the interior parts of India. This will help study circle participants obtain a first hand experience of India, and how scholarship and politics is developing. Many studies coming from the metropolises, including within India, have a certain homogenising tendency with regard to understanding ‘globalisation’. By contrast, in several areas, closer to the political pulse and movements of the country, authentic voices are still heard.
The study circle will be run as a collective. All participants will be involved in deciding upon and performing necessary chores. Private rooms will be provided in clean and comfortable lodges. A registration charge of Rs. 3000 (employed) / Rs. 1500 (student) includes all accommodation, meals and reading materials. The study circle is financed entirely through registration of Indian and international delegates. No state or NGO monies are involved.
For further information/registration, please contact critical.india@googlemail.com and provide some details of your research interests and why you would be interested in participating in the study circle.
The organisers are..:
Simon Chilvers (Honorary Associate, Macquarie University); K. Chandan Sharma (Associate Professor, Tezpur University); Dharmendra Kumar (Associate Professor, J.H. College, Betul, Madhya Pradesh); Fraser Sugden (Research Fellow, University of Stirling); K. Sanjay Singh (Associate Professor, University of Delhi); Margaret Walton-Roberts (Associate Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University); Terah Sportel (Ph.D. Candidate, University of Guelph).
Gujarat, Assam, Orissa, UP: Two Weeks of Brutal Attacks on People’s Rights
Demanding Democracy and Legal Rights Makes One a Terrorist
Friends,
Clashes have erupted across the country as the forest authorities and other agencies move to crush those who are trying to uphold democracy, people’s control over resources, and the law. In Gujarat, Assam, UP, and Orissa, people are being falsely arrested, police opening fire and houses being burned (on March 21st, March 30th, March 16th and March 30th respectively). They have asked for nothing except their legal rights over their resources, and they have been shot at, beaten up, jailed and killed. Is the government’s favorite phrase – the “rule of law” – to mean that the police should act as hired gunmen for the Forest Department and companies?
· In Gujarat, Avinash Kulkarni and Bharat Powar are in jail, accused of sedition, conspiring to wage war against the State and membership, support for and funding a terrorist organisation. Kulkarni and Powar are activists of the Dangi Mazdoor Union (DMU), a democratic organisation that for 15 years has engaged in mass struggles for people’s rights. They are members of the Gujarat-wide federation Adivasi Mahasabha (affiliated to the Campaign for Survival and Dignity), which has been engaged in the struggle for the Forest Rights Act and for democratic control over the forests. But for the Forest Department and those who benefit from their control, the law itself is the problem, so anyone who speaks of the law must be a terrorist. Indeed, the FIR against them does not describe a single incident or criminal offence; it is a rhetorical description of “increasing Naxal activity” in south Gujarat. In normal times it would be thrown out, but today, this is enough to land someone in jail indefinitely. The situation is so outrageous that even the Congress party walked out of the Assembly in protest on March 25th.
· In Dhemaji, Assam, the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, a people’s organisation, organised a protest of 12,000 people on March 30th. Their demands? Implement the Forest Rights Act, clean up the PDS and halt the construction of big dams. The government’s response? The CRPF fired in the air, used tear gas and lathi charged the protesters. More than 100 were injured and 23 admitted to hospital, of whom two are in critical condition. The district KMSS president was arrested and slapped with various false non-bailable cases. The KMSS general secretary, Akhil Gogoi, is facing a series of false cases and has been described by the government as – what else? – a “Maoist.”
· In Sonebhadra, Uttar Pradesh, on March 16th, the Forest Department and local goondas attacked adivasi protesters (organised by the National Forum of Forest Peoples and Forest Workers) who were reclaiming lands from which they had been illegally evicted in August 2009. The forest guards were armed and beat the protesters. Many were wounded, including a pregnant woman, who miscarried as a result of the beating. All the wounded were denied medical treatment. Four people, who were wounded themselves, were arrested and are still in jail. In fact it was the August 2009 eviction, not the protest, that is the criminal offence.
· In Kalinganagar, Orissa, the site of the massacre of 14 adivasi protesters in 2006, the police have gone on the rampage again. On March 29th, the day after the District Collector agreed to hold discussions with the Bistapan Birodhi Jan Manch on the construction of a road on their lands, the road construction was begun anyway. When the people protested on the 30th, 29 companies of police were deployed and went on the rampage. They were joined by goondas associated with the BJD and the Tata Group. One protester was shot in the legs, more than 50 have sustained injuries; houses were burned, property looted, and cattle killed. The attackers even desecrated the memorial to those killed in 2006. The police have cordoned off the area and are blocking entry.
Meanwhile, Operation Green Hunt leaves a trail of death and destruction across central India. For anyone who values democracy, law and basic humanity, these should be days of outrage.
Campaign for Survival and Dignity
http://www.forestrightsact.com, 9810819301
Radical Notes 