*Invitation to the RTI Mela 2025* Celebrating 20 Years of the Right to Information Act and more than 30 years of the MKSS-led people's struggles for the people's right to information
*Date*: 12th October 2025 | *Time*: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM *Venue*: Beawar, Rajasthan, where there is a living people's RTI museum is in the making Zindabad, friends, and colleagues, We are delighted to invite you to the first-ever RTI Mela: a vibrant one-day festival on 12 October 2025 at Beawar, Rajasthan as we mark 20 years of the RTI Act with a celebration and collective resolve, to remember our past struggles and plan for future battles. It will bring together RTI users, activists, journalists, students, workers, farmers, and ordinary citizens from Rajasthan and across India. We welcome you to Chang Gate, Beawar, where the first major mobilisation began for the RTI in 1996. It is twenty years ago, on 5 October 2005, that the Right to Information Act came into force. It marked a historic moment in India’s democratic journey, a law born out of people’s struggle, demanding transparency and accountability from those in power. From the 44-day dharna at Chang Gate in Beawar in 1996 to the hundreds of thousands of citizens across the country who used the Act, this has been a transformatory right and legislation, not only to fight corruption and the arbitrary exercise of power, but also to establish people’s basic rights and demand justice. The RTI has been one of the strongest tools in the hands of ordinary people. This congregation is more than a celebration; it is a call to reaffirm our commitment to truth, justice, and the Constitution of India. At a time when transparency is under threat and the space for democratic dissent is shrinking, we must come together to protect what we fought so hard to achieve. This Mela will also mark the beginning of a new tradition, of an annual RTI festival in Beawar, hosted by the Museum we will build and curate on an ongoing basis. That is why we are holding this mela at the place where land has been allotted for the upcoming RTI Museum. The foundation stone was laid a year ago, and with the help and contribution of many people, work has begun on what will perhaps be the first of its kind - a people's RTI museum in the world. The museum will be not only a space to document and record the contribution of the city of Beawar and the people of the area, but also document and share stories of how the right to information has been used by citizens to empower ordinary people and strengthen democracy across the country. This year, we mark 20 years of the RTI Act at a time when there are great threats to the Act, including through the amendments brought about by the DPDP Act. The mela will therefore be as much about our past struggles as it is about our future battles to safeguard and strengthen the RTI. *What to Expect at the RTI Mela* • RTI Stories of Change: from the area, from Rajasthan, and from across India, by those who used the Act to fight corruption, get their rights, and hold power accountable. • Stalls and Exhibitions: on RTI, and other key issues of transparency and accountability. • RTI Help Desks • Cultural Performances and Songs of Struggle: music and performances from Rajasthan’s rich lok parampara, celebrating the spirit of satyagraha and people’s power. • Food Stalls and Community Spaces: making this a true mela, with local flavours and a warm, open space for dialogue and exchange. Let us sing, speak, share, and pledge to keep the light of transparency and accountability burning bright. In Solidarity, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, School for Democracy, Rajasthan Asangathit Mazdoor Union, Mazdoor Kisan Kirana Stores, and the people of Beawar and its surrounding areas न्याय, समानता, बंधुत्व हो आधार ऐसे रचेंगे हम संसार We will create a world based on justice, equality, and fraternity PS: Organisations and collectives are encouraged to put up their own stalls and exhibitions. Please let us know in advance if you wish to participate. Warm regards and Zindabad, *SreeHarsha Thanneeru* on Behalf of School for Democracy (SFD) 9966089839 -- Datameet is a community of Data Science enthusiasts in India. Know more about us by visiting http://datameet.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "datameet" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/datameet/74423872-7db8-4d86-89b6-d4dabb8f63b3n%40googlegroups.com.
