Dear Ranjani, You raise some core questions - thanks for this - and for Niloufer's equally excellent response. There is much we have to ponder, discuss and come together on - including the vexing question of the Laxman Rekha of whom the allies should or should not be.
Lalita On Tue, Jun 7, 2011 at 6:44 PM, ranjani k.murthy <[email protected]>wrote: > > Dear friends: > > While different people- from Yoga gurus to Anna Hazare go on fast to > protest against corruption in India- one needs to ask whether such > approaches are good or do they land up suppressing large scale dissent from > oppressed groups, with 75% of India living under $2 per day per capita ( > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_percentage_of_population_living_in_poverty > ). > > > > Other reasons for absence of large scale dissent in India include i) > Populist schemes of government like free/subsidized distribution of rice, > television, grinders, gold etc which do not question the unequal > distribution of assets/income, returns to labor, usurpation of natural > resources, ii) The inadequate emphasis on labor intensive growth by > government and on dry land agriculture growth (MNREGS is palliative and > poorly implemented, rarely in manifesto of state specific parties), iii) > Initiation of schemes like SGSY without linking them to land redistribution > or rights to ponds, forests, tanks, markets. iv) The anti-Dalit > sentiment by upper and middle castes, the blindness of society towards > poverty, the upholding of patriarchal values, phobia towards people of > diverse sexual/gender identities, Muslims*, etc. v) Belief of people in > institutionalized religion and that one’s religion is superior to that of > the others. vi) Emergence of NGOs under corporate control as well as NGOs > which engage in service delivery (which should be done by government). NGOs’ > role should ideally be restricted to making state and inter-state > organizations accountable or showing replicable models of making oppressed > groups take control over livelihoods and assets along value chain and making > households, community and markets accountable. vii) The > internationalization of good social movements by INGOs by funding them, with > leaders being pulled to different countries to speak. Cannot technology > be used to speak from here? Viii) Inadequate back up support mechanisms for > few non party political formations that have survived this onslaught. > > > > > It is time to challenge the yoga guru and middle/elite class led > development and protest models and ask the oppressed (50% of whom are > Dalits and Adivasis in India ( > bahujannews.blogspot.com/.../zestcaste-my-response-to-ashok.html), majority > are unorganized workers- with women amongst them being more marginalized) > what they see as Just model (s) of development, governance, spirituality > and sustainable living. It is obvious that neither unfettered capitalism > nor communism has worked. Instiutionalised religion is divisive. If > necessary, one could expose oppressed to different interpretations of > Ambedkar, Lohia, Paulo Friere, Andre Gunder Frank, Marx, Che Guevera, > Trusteeship of Gandhi, etc, pose a few questions and leave it to them > to evolve a model which is non violent. Listening to the songs of 70 year > old Naynamma, a dalit from Thervoy Kandigai, Tamil Nadu I feel she could > teach us a lot. Dalits, Adivasis and Sufis also follow a lot of > non-institutionalized spiritual and sustainable living practices and follow > their own governance systems (though not equitable in all aspects of > diversity). > > > > FURTHER IT IS TIME TO GIVE FELLOWSHIPS TO OPPRESSED GROUPS WHO HAVE LED > STRUGGLES OR RESOLVED CONFLICTS TO FORM PREVENTIVE STRUGGLE and CONFLICT > RESOLUTION COMMITTEES (WITH LEADERSHIP BY THEM) AND NOT CURATIVE ONES > AFTER (INTER) NATIONAL CORPORATE CONTROL, STATE CONTROL AND CONFLICT STARTS. > OTHERWISE THERE IS A DANGER THAT SOONER OR LATER SPORADIC PATHS OF VIOLENCE > MAY SPREAD FURTHER. AFTER ALL OPPRESSED ARE NOT FOOLS. FURTHER, WITH > TECHNOLOGY AND FREE DISTRIBUTION OF TELEVISIONS PEOPLE KNOW PATHS OF PROTEST > HAPPENING IN OTHER COUNTRIES. > > * 31% of Muslims are below poverty line, higher than national average ( > articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com › Collections › Dalits - Cached). > > > > ranjani > > * Regret that I am in sri lanka for few days, name changed in gazette but > not in passport, had to come for a talk on "justice" and learn some home > truths from friends about situation here. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "humanrights movement" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > . > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en. > -- Ramu and Lalita Ramdas `Lara' - Ramu Farm Bhaimala Village P.O.Kamarle, Alibag 402201 Raigad Dist, Maharashtra, INDIA Phone: 0091-2141-248711 Fax: 0091-2141-248733 Cell: [L] 0 9422495315 Cell: [R] 0 9860170960 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. 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