Announcement Who are the Barbarians on our Homeland
ANNOUNCEMENT
National Campaign & Consultation - 2010 Jharkhand
Who are the barbarians on our homeland?
Ranchi Jharkhand 4th – 8th June 2010
The background to calling for, and organizing this NCC – 2010 Jharkhand is a 21st Century version of the 16th Century Columbus story. The Indian State in the last twelve months has all of a sudden ‘discovered’ that Adivasis[1] are being killed in Greater Jharkhand[2]. According to them by Maoist ultras, whom of late the State has branded as ‘terrorist’. For this purpose has launched a military operation to eliminate the terror outfit/s.
An important question being asked is whether this military operation is a response to ‘Maoist Violence’ or is it some other planned scheme/strategy to use the Maoist excuse for engineering a change in the character of civilian rule in this region. In simple home language is it a ‘bahana’ for some other plans of State to enhance wealth extraction of this mineral rich region, as it has now also become a mass-resistant powerful region.
The action of the State has brought in a public debate. Protagonist and antagonist to the State scheme are voicing their views. However two important political questions among several of grave consequences are not sufficiently being addressed.
1. How does this State’s strategy impair the democratic process the country has been taking? A question of graver implications is:
2. How will this threaten the survival of the Adivasis as a distinct people under the Vth and VIth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and the various UN resolutions on Indigenous Peoples?
In such a charged and enthusiastic atmosphere of discourse debate we (in B.I.R.S.A. and other social organisations in Greater Jharkhand) feel that there is a serious lack of political knowledge and depth in the debate. Notions and emotions are misdirecting it to futile ground. Besides, the debate at the ringside (mainstream) is drowning the other important one taking place within the arena of the amphitheater itself.
B.I.R.S.A. with the support of DELHI FORUM and a host of Jharkhandi social organisations has called for a National Campaign & Consultation on the theme: Who are the barbarians on our homeland? From 4th – 8th June 2010 in Ranchi the capital of Jharkhand. The tentative programme is below:
The NCC 2010 Jharkhand is divided into two parts:
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1st Part |
4th – 6th June |
Delegates are invited to become a guest of some of our affected villages and interact with our communities who are all victims of the killings. (This is a overnight stay programme) |
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2nd Part |
6th – 8h June |
A two day programme of dialogue, discourse and collective discerning on the situation |
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Additional |
9th June |
This day will be the 110th Martyrdom Anniversary of Vir Birsa Munda. Each year the Adivasi groups organise a series of programmes all over the State to commemorate it. They all then culminate at the Sacred Grave Stone of Birsa Munda for a cultural programme. Delegates who would like to stay over for this programme are welcome to and B.I.R.S.A. will take care of their hospitality and logistics. |
The host communities will be selected from areas where:
I. Adivasis have been killed by State Police/paramilitary through extra judicial means
II. Adivasis (alleged police informers etc) have been killed by alleged Maoists
III. Police/Paramilitary/State Bureaucracy have killed by alleged Maoists.
IV. Alleged Maoist have been killed by Police/Paramilitary/through extra judicial means
V. Children and common people have been killed in the cross fires.
VI. Adivasis have been killed or are undergoing slow death by acts of
Corporations
We are interested in inviting persons and representatives of social/labour/ and other issue based organisations involved In the ongoing debate and especially those who are later on interested in continuing a non-structured campaign on the question of the Indigenous ethos and modern systems of civilization with emphasis on wealth extraction/formation.
Even though the topic sounds academic our objective is to build up an active athmosphere of reflections on the years of Adivasi activism that will hopefully bridge the distance between transformative politics and thought. We also see it important to link our debate with the one going on at present in South America as being articulated by the Bolivian President Evo Morales http://www.minkandina.org/index.php?news=312
Please note that this is only an announcement and not an invitation. Those interested please write to us with a brief about you or/and your organisation and your interest in participating in this programme. Of the 120 delegates we hope to have, we can extend invitations to only 30-40 delegates from out of Greater Jharkhand. A concept note is being drafted and will be circulated soon.
Range Johar!
Adv. Chandrabushan Deogam
Executive Director
B.I.R.S.A.
Contact email: for NCC 2010 Jharkhand stopkillingusjkd@gmail.com or at any of the addresses below:
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Delhi Forum - F 10/12 Malviya Nagar New Delhi INDIA - 110017 Phones: + 91-11-26671556 (Direct), 26680914/883 Fax:26687724 Emails: vijayan@delhiforum.net, delhiforum@delhiforum.net Web: http://updatecollective.wordpress.com/ http://delhisolidaritygroup.wordpress.com/ |
[1] We the Indigenous Peoples of peninsular India prefer to be known as Adivasis which means first
peoples’
[2] Greater Jharkhand is the regions of the original Adivasi homeland Jharkhand. Today parts of it have been divided bringing some of its regions within the State of West Bengal, Orissa and Chhattisgarh.
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