A South Asia Social Forum (SASF) has been decided to be held in Lucknow between 1-5 March 2014. Lokavidya Jan Andolan has decided to participate in it. We have been to the preparatory meetings in Lucknow, Delhi and Kathmandu. Ravi and Ekta have located themselves in Lucknow and have taken charge of the SASF Lucknow Secretariat. Dilip Kumar 'dili' is involved in dialoguing and mobilization. Avinash is helping formulate the knowledge focus of the dialogue space. Sanjeev Daji has taken the responsibility of mobilizing from the Malwa region. Vilas Bhongade and Girish have initiated preparations from Nagpur. Andhra and Bihar friends are expected to come in with their programs.
We are engaged both at the General Council level in formulating the theme areas and at the Lucknow Secretariat in details of organization.
Since the Asia Social Forum 2003 in Hyderabad we have organized workshops and published bulletins on Dialogues on Knowledge in Society in the WSF events in Mumbai, Karachi, Delhi and Nairobi. All the bulletins are there on our website www.vidyaashram.org
Now there is again occasion to place the ideas of lokavidya and the new political imagination thereof before a much larger audience.
This time a knowledge theme has been included in the basic thematic structure of the Social Forum. It is quite likely that there will be a two day knowledge conference sponsored by the International Council of WSF, the conference to be primarily organized by Lokavidya Jan Andolan, of course in collaboration with others. Avinash had prepared for one of the meetings a note focusing on how the knowledge issue is emerging to occupy the center stage. This is also to request Avinash to post that note on this blog.
We are in the process of planning the following conferences and workshops at SASF around the general idea of people’s knowledge claims –
Slowly it would become clear how this space on knowledge and politics can be utilized in its full scope.
Vidya Ashram
We are engaged both at the General Council level in formulating the theme areas and at the Lucknow Secretariat in details of organization.
Since the Asia Social Forum 2003 in Hyderabad we have organized workshops and published bulletins on Dialogues on Knowledge in Society in the WSF events in Mumbai, Karachi, Delhi and Nairobi. All the bulletins are there on our website www.vidyaashram.org
Now there is again occasion to place the ideas of lokavidya and the new political imagination thereof before a much larger audience.
This time a knowledge theme has been included in the basic thematic structure of the Social Forum. It is quite likely that there will be a two day knowledge conference sponsored by the International Council of WSF, the conference to be primarily organized by Lokavidya Jan Andolan, of course in collaboration with others. Avinash had prepared for one of the meetings a note focusing on how the knowledge issue is emerging to occupy the center stage. This is also to request Avinash to post that note on this blog.
We are in the process of planning the following conferences and workshops at SASF around the general idea of people’s knowledge claims –
1. Gyan
Panchayat: People’s hearing on questions of knowledge in society
and the university knowledge – a five pole hut-shade is the location. It is to
symbolize women, peasants, adivasis, artisans and small retailers as both the
most oppressed and the knowledgeable communities today.
2. Lokavidya
Satsang: Lokavidya Gayaki, mainly adapted from Kabir, to be
recited by groups of singers with a simultaneous discourse and dialogue from
the lokavidya point of view.
3. Lokavidya
Wiki: This
workshop is to discuss the ways of building an open collaborative process of
creating a Lokavidya Wiki as a self organizing, autonomous part of the wiki
world. Some beginning has been made at Vidya Ashram.
4. Artists’
Knowledge Meet: Gathering of artists to discuss the meaning of
knowledge in and as seen from their world and the political significance of
such an undertaking.
5. Global
Fraternity of Knowledge Movements: Workshop with the participation
of peoples’ knowledge movements from many parts of the world. Debating the form
and content of such fraternal relationships.
Other than these, the
general plan includes focus on the peoples’ knowledge interface with the
national policy through conferences of farmers, adivasis, women, artisans and small
retailers and workshops on energy, displacement and language.
Slowly it would become clear how this space on knowledge and politics can be utilized in its full scope.
Vidya Ashram
