Anhad

Press Release : Narendra Modi And His False Claims: Data Not Released So Far

2013-05-04T14:09:18Z

THE FOLLOWING DATA AND FILMS HAVE NO COPYRIGHT AND CAN BE SHARED LIBERALLY TO EXPOSE THE MYTH OF THE PRIME MINISTER IN WAITING - A DICTATOR.

FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW - ASSEMBLY IN GUJARAT ON AN AVERAGE WORKS FOR 30-35 DAYS ONLY IN AN YEAR. ALL DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS AND NORMS HAVE BEEN UNDERMINED.

For some of us who have constantly engaged with the state of Gujarat since 2002 it is important to bring before the people of this country the lies which have been perpetrated by the Fascist regime in Gujarat. Whether it is the question of No Riots since 2002 or Gujarat being the most developed state- all these have been projected with the use of PR agencies and huge amount of money with the intent of capturing power at the Centre.

We are presenting here videos and data , reports which totally expose the tall claims of the Mr Prime Minister in waiting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7S1aPy9YTQ

video on the most recent attack of Feb, march 2013 on Muslim businessmen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsdes8NHpwA&feature=youtu.be Modi's own constituency Maninagar in Ahmadabad.


Tracing Lives of Muslims in Gujarat Post 2002 - Report: A report by Anhad 2013


Gujarat is No. 1 ?


Gujarat Statistics

Purshottam Rupala Forges Documents To Malign Anhad

2013-05-02T13:12:57Z

PRESS RELEASE

May 2, 2013

PURSHOTTAM RUPALA FORGES DOCUMENTS TO MALIGN ANHAD

ANHAD has been under concerted attack last few months. The attack came from the Gujarat State BJP President and Rajya Sabha MP Mr Purshottam Rupala, who wrote letters to the Prime Minister against Anhad and also leaked half baked information against Anhad to various small time websites assumingly supported by them.

In order to throttle every dissenting voice which stands for safeguarding democracy and secularism both in Gujarat and at National level BJP has stooped too low. Mr Purshottam Rupala has attached FC 6 forms for 2009-10 and 2010-11 with his letter to the Prime Minister. He has specifically raised the question of Anhad hiding grant from HIVOS , Purshottam Rupala writes: “ I also want to highlight a very important point which has come to my knowledge that ANHAD has not declared to the Ministry of Home that it has also received Euro 3580 from HIVOS” .

The fact of the matter is that FC 6 forms submitted to the Prime Minister of India by the Rajya Sabha MP and BJP Gujarat president Mr Purshottam Rupala are forged.

Mr Rupala has raised in his letter that Anhad has not declared to the Ministry of Home that it received Euro 3580 from Hivos. He has submitted a copy of the FC-6 form which shows that Oxfam India gave 18,42,735 to Anhad in 2009-2010.

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010 (FCRA 2010) was passed by Rajya Sabha on 19th August 2010 with a view to replace the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 1976. The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 came into effect from May 1, 2011.

There was no Online filing of accounts in the year 2009-10 and FC-6 forms did not exist in 2009-10 and 2010-11.

ANHAD did not file any online form for year ending 31 March 2010, it became mandatory to file online forms only in 2011-12. In 2009-10 and 2010-11 FC3 forms existed and not FC-6.

In Mr Rupala's forged FC 6 document address of Oxfam India is shown as: Plot No 19, Amravati Cooperative Housing Society, Secunderabad- 500009. In forged FC 6 form for 2010-11 Christian Aid's address is shown as: Calcutta. Both Oxfam Indian and Christian Aid had offices in Delhi during these years. The document is neither signed by Anhad's Managing Trustee Shabnam Hashmi nor the chartered accountant.

Copy of the FC3 form submitted to MHA signed by Shabnam Hashmi and the Chartered Accountant FOR 2009-10 is attached herewith which clearly shows all the amounts received from different donors including HIVOS. The amount mentioned above 18,42,735.00 were not given by Oxfam India only but by different donors (Oxfam India 12,15,000.00, Hivos- 2,14,785.00, Action Aid International- 1,90,000.00, Sama-40,000, Hope for Children- 1,82,950.00).

Following Mr Rupala's attack many of his cronies have written on various small time websites raising questions especially about Christian Aid's funds.

Christian Aid supports ANHAD's community work, women empowerment, livelihood, Disaster Risk Reduction Work in Bihar and Kashmir.

Mr Rupala is not only ignorant about ANHAD's work but also paranoid (attached a media cutting from 2007 where he gave a call to fight Anhad as Anhad had brought 1000 people from outside to do nataks against Gujarat. These were in fact 45 young activists from within Gujarat who travelled on three routes and performed all over Gujarat taking the preamble of the Indian constitution to the people of Gujarat).

It is very clear that by specifically targeting Christian Aid they want to use the communal card which they have perfected over years.

ANHAD was formed in 2003 and our major work is safeguarding democracy and secularism. In Gujarat, where on an average assembly doesn't work for more than 30 days per year, where Deputy speaker is not appointed, where MLAs are told what questions to ask and senior police officers are sent to take MLAs signatures on blank question forms and various reports questioning all undemocratic practices are never placed on the floor of the house, talking of democracy and secularism by default becomes anti- Modi.

Every single voice within Gujarat: RB Sreekumar, Sanjeev Bhatt and others have been under attack. RTI activists Amit Jetwa, Nadeem Sayed have been killed.

Now that Mr Modi has national ambitions they are attacking every civil society voice including ANHAD, Harsh Mander, Gagan Sethi, Teesta Seetalvad. Anyone who can expose Mr Narendra Modi's communal agenda as well as the myth of Gujarat development at the national level is under attack.

Anhad has got FCRA since 2009 and it takes funds under it through legal means. ANHAD submits and files the required documents, audited accounts to the Home Ministry according to the law. Anhad works all over India and has offices in Delhi, Gujarat, Kashmir, Haryana, and Bihar. ANHAD has worked in areas which are the most difficult in Kashmir in terms of terrain and political conditions- we work in Tangdhar which remains under 20 feet snow for almost 6-8 months and in Mewat and remote villages of Bihar with very backward and conservative communities. ANHAD has made over 10000 women literate over the past 3-4 years and have given vocational training to over 2000 women and 3000 young boys and girls. ANHAD provided livelihood support to 700 families in Kashmir and 100 families in Bihar.

It was due to ANHAD's fearlessness than Gopalgarh (Rajasthan), Forbesgunj (Bihar) and Dhule (Maharashtra) police firing were brought to the attention of the nation with the help of national media.


FC-3 (2009-2010)


RTI Document

ANHAD and its Activities

2013-04-24T21:26:46Z

Anhad (Act Now for harmony and Democracy) was formed in the first week of March 2003. Anhad was conceived less as an organization and more as platform and a very loose movement, which is absolutely action oriented.

ANHAD tries to combine the elements of a structural organisation as well as that of a large scale movement by collaborating with existing organisations and movements and by undertaking local level activities. It enables ANHAD to develop creative co-operation with people's organisations and social movements working in different areas of social and cultural concerns.

ANHAD actively works on issues related to democracy, secularism, communal harmony, gender equality, women empowerment and justice. It fights for human rights and rights of the marginalised communities. Anhad is involved in relief, rehabilitation, livelihood, women empowerment, vocational training, literacy and education. Anhad celebrates cultural diversity and pluralism. It intervenes at the policy level and is a strong advocacy group at the national level.

ANHAD (Act Now for Harmony and Democracy) was formed in the first week of March 2003. Anhad is registered as a trust (Regd. No.-1708/ 4/ 3127/13-25 dated 6.3.2003) and has seven trustees.

K N Panikkar, historian and social commentator, Founding Trustee
Shubha Mudgal, musician, Trustee
Kamla Bhasin, activist and writer, Trustee
Saeed Akhtar Mirza, film maker and writer, Trustee
Harsh Mander, activist and writer, Founding Trustee
Ram Puniyani, writer, social activist, Trustee
Shabnam Hashmi, Social Activist, Founding and Managing Trustee

Anhad has working offices in Delhi, Gujarat (Ahmadabad), Haryana (Hathin), Kashmir ( Srinagar, Uri & Tangdar) & Bihar (Purnia).

ANHAD is a unique experience in activism and it is perhaps the only organisation of its kind with such a huge and diverse canvas of work.

ANHAD is known nationally for its work on human rights and minority rights. On the completion of our ten years we want to introduce the wide canvas of our work. With a handful of people in each ANHAD office is mind boggling to think how the amount of work done in the past ten years could be done. It is the sheer dedication of the ANHAD team members which has resulted in the huge and diverse amount of work. Everyone who works in ANHAD comes from very ordinary backgrounds with no formal qualifications like MSW or any other, many are school and college drop outs, who did not have the opportunity to finish studies, there are women activists who coming out of their own difficult circumstances have become part of the organisation.

Areas of Work

1. Experiments in Secular Democratic Education

2. Publications for Disseminating the Values of Democracy, Secularism, Equality and Justice

3. Organizing Seminars, Workshops, Conventions to Generate Intellectual Debate at the National and State Level

4. Celebrating Cultural Diversity

5. People's Action for Public Policy and Law & a Pressure Group Safeguarding the Rights of Minorities and other Marginalized Sections & Freedom of Expression

6. Relief and Rehabilitation Work

7. People's Campaigns for Safeguarding Democracy

8. Community Work

1. Experiments in Secular Democratic Education

Anhad organizes residential training camps to create awareness on issues related to democracy, secularism, communal harmony, pluralism and diversity, to counter prejudices, to plan actions and strategies for building an atmosphere of peace and justice. In the past 10 years Anhad has organised over 100 camps and discussion sessions and film screenings in colleges, schools and at Anhad offices which has yielded quite encouraging results. These camps have been organized in Delhi, Gujarat, Goa, UP, Rajasthan, Kerala, Andhra, Orissa, Goa, Maharashtra, MP, Karnataka and other states.

May 05-14, 2003 Residential Camp in Jaipur, Rajasthan
May 15-19, 2003 Residential Camp in Surat, Gujarat
May 16-20, 2003 Residential Camp in Godhra, Gujarat
May 17-21, 2003 Residential Camp in Himmatnagar, Gujarat
May 18-22, 2003 Residential Camp in Chotila, Gujarat
May 19-23, 2003 Residential Camp in Kutch, Gujarat
May 20-24, 2003 Residential Camp in Ahmedabad, Gujarat
June 04-08, 2003 Residential Camp in Delhi
July 22-26, 2003 Residential Camp in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
August 26-30, 2003 Residential Camp in Hyderabad
October 8-12, 2003 Residential Camp in Delhi
October 8-10, 2003 Two day workshop in Udaipur, Rajasthan
October 26-30, 2003 Five day workshop in Delhi
January 8, 2004 Premiere of Final Solution, Delhi
April 5, 2004 Training camp, Mathura
July 11, 2004 Training camp, Mathura
August 20-21, 2004 Training camp in Ahmedabad
August 21-22, 2004 Training camp in Kalol
August 24, 2004 Public Screening of Final Solution in Delhi
August 28-29, 2004 Training camp in Bhubneshwar
September 17-18,2004 Training camp Ayodhya
September 25-26, 2004 Training camp Kolkata
October 2-3, 2004 Training camp in Hyderabad
October 13, 2004 Training camp in Mathura
October 30, 2004 Training camp Hyderabad
October 30-31, 2004 Training camp in Delhi
September, 2004 Film Festival with Films for Freedom
November 15, 2004 Essay Competition for students, Delhi
November 25, 2004 Creative Writing Competition for students in Mumbai, Y4P
December 7-10, 2004 Training camp in Churu, Rajasthan
January 10, 2005 Training camp in Chhindwada, Rajasthan
January 12-14, 2005 Training camp Trivandrum
February 18, 2005 Training camp in Mathura
March 12, 2005 Training camp in Ayodhya
March 23, 2005 Release of Un Sapnon Ki Khatir- Hindi 15 lectures
July 15, 2005 Screening of the film "Manipur-Shadows of Freedom" in Delhi
April 18th, 2006 Essay Competition in Srinagar- Save Dal Lake
May 12-14, 2006 Workshop for the Volunteers for Kashmir in Delhi
May 18th, 2006 Elocution in Srinagar university- Kashmiri Youth: Dreams and Future
May 15-June 10, 2006 30 University students work in over 40 villages in the earthquake in Kashmir
June 3-6, 2006 Training for teachers in Srinagar on Ways of Creative Teaching
August 12-16, 2006 Integration Residential Camp in Goa
December 19-27, 2006 Three Parallel Residential Integration Camps in Gujarat
January 15-25, 2007 Three Parallel Residential Integration Camps in Gujarat
January 20-23, 2007 Training camp Devgadh Baria in Gujarat
February 04, 2007 Announcement of 'SMS Parzania Contest' in Gujarat
February 12, 2007 Announcement of Competition 'Creating Democracy Celebrating Diversity' inviting young creative minds to create any product that promotes the value of Communal Harmony, Democracy, Peace, Fraternity, Diversity and Secularism.
February 15, 2007 Announcement of Stop Hate Campaign for College/School Students by creating messages of peace and communal harmony
February 19, 2007 'Godhra Exposed' Lecture by Mukul Sinha in Delhi.
March 24, 2007 Interaction of the winners of of 'SMS Parzania Contest' with Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika in Mumbai
April 07, 2007 Release of VCD "Secular Voices" in Lucknow
April 23, 2007 Organised first public screening of Parzania in Ahmedabad
May 06, 2007 Organised a TV Talk show for Doordarshan
July 06-08, 2007 Student's Peace Festival in Ahmedabad
July 14, 2007 Student's Film Festival in Srinagar attended by 500 students
August, 2007 State level competitions for college students: 1. should students Take Part in Politics 2. Should Education be privatized 3. Relationship between Politics of Hate and growing Violence against Women
September, 2007 Organised a creative writing competition for the school students in Kashmir
July 10, 2007 Training camp in Ahmedabad
September 12, 2007 Training camp in Ahmedabad
September 18-20, 2007 Training camp in Ahmedabad
October, 2-4, 2007 Training for Youth Reporters in Ahmadabad
October 02, 2007 Distribution of roses and a Gandhi card at Teen Darwaza, Ahmedabad
January 30, 2008 Programme in Ahmedabad ji's Martyrdom Day
February 07-10, 2008 Residential Integration camp in Bhopal
March 13-15, 2008 Residential Integration camp in Indore
March, 2008 Shabnam Hashmi represented Anhad in US by delivering Lectures in the various Universities
July 14, 2008 Release of the film nquilab
December 06, 2008 Announcement of 'Say no to Violence' campaign
November 11, 2009 Interactive session with Ashok Vajpayee and Geeta Hariharan
November 14, 2009 Umbrella Painting competition and Cultural programme in Dwarka
January 18, 2009 Anhad Staff meeting in Constitution Club
February 16, 2009 Anhad Staff Meeting
February 21, 2009 Seminar on 'Science and Career' organized in Dwarka
March 02, 2009 Announced Youth for Peace competition for Journalists
March 19, 2009 Organised screening of the film 'Beyond the Veil'
March 25-26, 2009 Two day workshop in Delhi at Chugh Dharamshala
April, 09 Internship Program in Gujarat
April 19, 2009 Beena Sarwar's films screening at Press Club by YFP
May 2009 Opening of Media Institute in Kashmir
June 2009 Volunteers Program in Kashmir by YFP
November 09, 2009 Student Documentary Film Festival in Srinagar
November 23-25, 2009 South Asian Film Festival in Srinagar
January 05, 2010 Hosted students of MSW Department, Gujarat University at Anhad
October 05-10, 2010 Workshop in Bhubneshwar
November 19, 2010 Interaction with Nandita Das in Bhubneshwar
December 26-30, 2010 Workshop in Mumbai
December 2010 Camp on Value education and Vocational training in Purnia, Bihar
January 05, 2011 Hosted students from Virginia University
March 31-April 03, 2011 Workshop in Lucknow
August 02, 2011 Drawing competition on Environment at Ravinagar Govt School, Gupta Nagar, Ahmedabad
August 3-11, 2011 Theater workshop in Purnia, Bihar
August 08, 2011 Youth Meeting on Social issues and Responsibilities of youth, Mahemdabad
September 4th - 8th 2011 Youth seminar on Indian constitution, Culture & Equality, Porbandar
October 0 6, 2011 Seminar in Ahmedabad
November 25, 2011 Film screening in Ahmedabad
November 27, 2011 Meeting on Indian constitution and minority riots, Juhapura, Ahmedabad
December 26-29, 2011 Training Camp at State institute and Family Welfare (SIHFW), Patna, Bihar
January 05-08, 2012 Training Camp for Anhad team, Damdama Sohna, Haryana
February 15, 2012 Debate competition in Sardar Patel Hall, Ahmedabad
March 15, 2012 Youth group meeting & film screening in Ahmedabad
March 25, 2012 Youth group meeting in Ahmedabad
March 28-30, 2012 Training Camp in Damdam, Sohna, Haryana
April 2, 2012 Screening of film Parzania in Ahmedabad
May 16-20, 2012 Training Camp in Bhavnagar, Gujarat
July 27 29, 2012 Training Camp in Ahmadabad
August 18-28, 2012 Street Theatre Workshop
Aug. 31, Sep.1 & 2, 2012 Training camp in Dahod, Gujarat
September 10-16, 2012 7 Street Theatre Groups were trained which later performed over 400 Shows across Gujarat
September 10-11, 2012 Workshop with the students of Godhaniya Arts College and MBD Science & Commerce college in Ahmedabad
September 28-30, 2012 Training camp in Ahmedabad
September 30, 2012 Gauhar Raza took a day long workshop with 70 youth from various districts including 20 Anhad activists
November 27, 2012 Film screening in BSC, Ahmedabad
December 19, 2012 Interaction with Mahesh Pandya , RTI activist at BSC Ahmedabad
December 26, 2012 Film screening on Women issues in at BSC, Ahmedabad
December 2012 Women group training on safeguarding democracy in 18 districts in Gujarat
January 9, 2013 Student interaction on Democratic values in Gujarat university, Ahmedabad
February 9, 2013 Youth workshop on Safeguarding Democracy in Porbandar, Gujarat
February 9, 2013 Film screening of Democracy & Constitution at Godhaniya Art College, Porbandar Gujarat
February 24, 2013 Film screening of Democracy & Constitution at Godhaniya Art College, Porbandar Gujarat
March 22-24, 2013 Youth training camp in Ahmedabad
March 29, 2013 Student interaction on Kashmir issues in Ahmedabad
April 9, 2013 Student interaction on Democratic values at Sanand Gujarat

2. Publications for Disseminating the Values of Democracy, Secularism, Equality and Justice

Anhad realizes that giving intensive inputs to the activists does conscientise them but is not sufficient to equip them permanently. The arguments and the data that effectively opposes the prejudices has to be put in black and white. Anhad started producing material in easy and understandable language to inculcate the values of democracy, justice, pluralism and secularism. Anhad's material- books, posters, Video CDs, exhibitions, leaflets, audio CDs, tribunal and fact finding reports have been very extensively used by various groups, colleges, institutions across India as well as in the Diaspora. Anhad has produced and disseminated thousands of books, video CDs, major exhibitions, close to one lakh posters and at least 50 lakh leaflets over the past 10 years and close to 100 small and big documentaries.

Anhad started an independent media production unit, which is now a separate organisation. Anhad uses social media including facebook and youtube for dissemination of ideas.

3. Organizing Seminars, Workshops, Conventions to Generate Intellectual Debate at the National and State Level

In order to stimulate intellectual debate as well as to respond to the political conditions in the country Anhad regularly organises seminars, workshops and conventions. Intellectuals, activists, members of the civil society, young students and youth from all over the country are invited to these programmes. About 60 seminars, conventions have been organised by Anhad over the last 10 years across the country. ANHAD has fearlessly spoken out in times of hopelessness and fear. It has given voice to the unheard at crucial times.

4. Celebrating Cultural Diversity

Anhad actively celebrates the secular, multi-layered cultural traditions of India, emphasizing that all creative endeavor upholds the values of secularism and pluralism. Anhad also provides platform to folk artists where they lack opportunities to conserve their art practices. Anhad actively engages with performing and visual artists to produce new repertoire around themes of peace and harmony.

Anhad has organised over 60 major cultural events across the country in the last 10 years.

5. People's Action for Public Policy and Law & a Pressure Group Safeguarding the Rights of Minorities and other Marginalized Sections & Freedom of Expression

Apart from its direct work on secular education, cultural action for pluralism, secularism and democracy, and youth activism, Anhad sees a major role for itself in building continuous civil society pressure for public policy and law for secular democracy and social justice. ANHAD works as a strong pressure group and is constantly intervening in policy making, organizing media campaigns, releasing statements, sending fact finding teams and organizing tribunals, sending memorandums, organizing protests, demonstrations, dharnas and so on. Anhad directly assists a large number of people in taking up their cases of discrimination at the political level and administrative level. Anhad activists continuously assist various national, international human rights teams, activists, journalists and researchers with their studies in Gujarat and other parts of India.

6. Relief and Rehabilitation Work

Anhad came into being in response to the Gujarat carnage and when the idea of Anhad was still generating different members of Anhad worked extensively in Relief camps in Gujarat providing relief to victims. Anhad has responded to the best of its abilities to provide relief and help in rehabilitating victims of both natural and manmade disasters. Anhad helped raised funds for victims of Tsunami and has directly provided livelihood support to 700 quake affected families in Kashmir, 500 flood hit families in bihar, livelihood support to 100 flood hit marginalized families and relief material to 1600 displaced families from the riverfront in Gujarat.

7. People's Campaigns for Safeguarding Democracy

Anhad has actively worked since its inception to defeat communal forces in the country. We have organised huge campaigns and have reached out to lakhs of people through these campaigns in many states and across India. Hundreds of young people have given their free time almost round the clock to work, travel, perform, distribute leaflets, speak and interact with ordinary people across India in small villages, towns and cities. These campaigns have not only reached out to a huge number of people and made an impact but they have also produced wonderful activists by the sheer exposure to the ground realities. About 15 major state and national level campaigns have been organized by Anhad. In 2010 Campaign Reservation Express in support of 33% women reservation was organised. It covered 30,000kms and 60 cities touching lakhs of people across India. In 2012 a unique Rediscovering Gandhi campaign was organised where 60 young people started from Porbandar with Gandhi's 10 new posters and took them to every district of Gujarat spreading the message of non-violence and peace.

8. Community Work

Anhad has done a huge amount of community work during the past ten years. It includes Literacy, Computer Education, Vocational Training, and Supporting Education of children from families of victims of conflict, Sports and cultural activities at village level, village development through building pressure groups at the village level, running youth clubs, women empowerment centers and resource centers at the village, Tehsil level. Anhad has also organized many health camps in places where there are no health facilities available. Awareness camps on various issues such as health and hygiene, literacy etc are organized on regular basis with the community. All youth clubs run after school coaching for village children. Daily newspapers, employment news, indoor and outdoor sports material is available at the youth clubs and women empowerment centers. Anhad has made over 10,000 women literate, gave vocational skills to over 3000 women, enabling them to earn a livelihood, took computer literacy to the remote corners of Kashmir. Today Anhad has a presence in approximately 30 villages. From getting the road made to forcing administration to build schools and providing water and electricity, to taking the areas problems up to the planning commission, everything is done by handful of the activists on the ground.

India's Descent Into Fascism: Can We Stop It? (27 April Seminar in Ahmadabad)

anhad e-admin — 2013-04-22T09:03:18Z

India's Descent Into Fascism: Can We Stop It?

ભારતમાં ફાશીવાદના મૂળઃ શું આપણે રોકી શકીશુ?

A Day Long Seminar

April 27, 2013 10Am To 5Pm

Mehdi Nawaj Jung Hall Paldi, Ahmadabad

Speakers:

Anil Choudhry, Fr Cedric Prakash, Gautam Thakker, Ghanshyam Shah, Kabir Thakore, Mahesh Pandya, Mallika Sarabhai, Mehul Makwana, Neha Shah, Paresh Vyas, Prakash Shah, Raju Solanki, Sofiya Khan, Uttam Parmar, Waqar Qazi, Zakia Soman

Film Screening: Zulmaton Ke Daur Main

ORGANISED BY:

ANHAD, ARAVALLI ADIVASI VIKAS TRUST, BMMA, BSC, JANVIKAS, JANPATH, PARYAVARAN MITRA, PUCL, SAFAR

Photos from National Convention on India's Descent into Fascism

2013-04-19T06:20:50Z

To mark ten years of existence, ANHAD organised a National convention 'India's Descent into Fascism' at the Constitution Club, Delhi, on 17 and 18 April 2013. These photos from the first day are by Mukul Dube.

- Image Gallery / Personal accounts / Testimonies, National Convention India's Descent into Fascism

A Decade Of Safeguarding Democracy, Celebrating Diversity And Community Work 2003-2013

2013-04-14T10:21:30Z

Press Release - April 12, 2013

ANHAD and its Activities

ANHAD (Act Now for Harmony and Democracy) was formed in the first week of March 2003. Anhad is registered as a trust (Regd. No.-1708/ 4/ 3127/13-25 dated 6.3.2003) and has seven trustees.

K N Panikkar, historian and social commentator, Founding Trustee

Shubha Mudgal, musician, Trustee

Kamla Bhasin, activist and writer, Trustee

Saeed Akhtar Mirza, film maker and writer, Trustee

Harsh Mander, activist and writer, Founding Trustee

Ram Puniyani, writer, social activist, Trustee

Shabnam Hashmi, Social Activist, Founding and Managing Trustee

Anhad has working offices in Delhi, Gujarat (Ahmadabad), Haryana (Hathin), Kashmir ( Srinagar, Uri & Tangdar) & Bihar (Purnia).

ANHAD is a unique experience in activism and it is perhaps the only organisation of its kind with such a huge and diverse canvas of work.

Areas of Work

Experiments in Secular Democratic Education

In the past 10 years Anhad has organised over 100 camps and discussion sessions and film screenings in colleges, schools and at Anhad offices

which has yielded quite encouraging results.These camps have been organized in Delhi, Gujarat, Goa, UP, Rajasthan, Kerala, Andhra, Orissa, Goa, Maharashtra, MP, Karnataka and other states.

Publications for Disseminating the Values of Democracy, Secularism, Equality andJustice

Anhad started an independent media production unit, which is now a separate organisation. Anhad uses social media including facebook and youtube for dissemination of ideas.

Organizing Seminars, Workshops, Conventions to Generate Intellectual Debate at the National and State Level

Celebrating Cultural Diversity

Anhad has organised over 60 major cultural events across the country in the last 10 years.

People's Action for Public Policy and Law & a Pressure Group Safeguarding the Rights of Minorities and other Marginalized Sections & Freedom of Expression

Relief and Rehabilitation Work

People's Campaigns for Safeguarding Democracy

Community Work

TEN YEAR PROGRAMME

APRIL 17, 18, 2013

ANHAD is organising a two day National Convention ‘Descent into Fascism: How Do We Stop It?' at the Constitution Club, Rafi Marg, New Delhi on April 17 & 18, 2013.

The convention will have representatives from a large number of states to present an over view of the situation from their states, experts who have worked on the questions of how terror has been used as a tool to demonise the minorities, communalisation of public and private spaces, culture, educational institutions and media & different segments of the society, it will look at recent cases of communal violence and the way forward.

A special panel of academicians, jurists, activists will at the end come out with recommendations for the government and the civil society.

Convention Schedule

APRIL 17, 2013

8.00-9.00am Breakfast for outstation participants and Registration

9.00-9.30am- Welcome

9.30-11.15- Session 1: Voices from the Ground: An Overview of the Situation from different states:

Chair: Gagan Sethi

Speakers : Deepak Bhatt- MP, Dr Anil Panikkar-Haryana, Faisal Anurag- Jharkhand, Kedar Misra-Orissa, Ramzan Chodhury-Haryana, Prof Haragopal- Andhra Pradesh, Dr. A Suneetha, Andhra Pradesh

11.15-1.00pm: Session 2: Voices from the Ground: An Overview of the Situation from different states:

Chair: Aruna Roy

Speakers: Anwar Ali- Kerala, Mohd Arif _UP, Neeraj Jain-Maharashtra, Pritha Kejriwal- West Bengal, Rajendra Sail- Chattisgarh, Shujaat Bukhari-Kashmir , Eric Pinto — Goa

1pm-2pm: Lunch

2pm-3.45pm-Session 3: Voices from the Ground: An Overview of the Situation from different states:

Chair: Prof. Rooprekha Verma

Speakers : Zakia Soman-Gujarat, Uttam Parmar-Gujarat, Yusuf Sheikh-Gujarat, Zamser Ali-Assam, Kavita Srivastava-Rajasthan, Arshad Ajmal-Bihar

3.45-5.30pm: Session 4: Terror a Tool to Demonise Minorities and Sangh Terror Network

Chair: Dr. Ram Puniyani

Speakers: Manisha Sethi, Shahnawaz Alam, Subhash Gatade, Rajeev Yadav, Ajit Sahi

5.30pm -TEA

April 18, 2013

8.00-900am: Breakfast

9.00- 11.15: Session 5: Communalisation of Public and Private Spaces, Cultural, Educational institutions and Media, Globalisation and Communalism

Chair: Colin Gonsalves

Speakers: Amit Sengupta, Anil Choudhry, Dr. Anupam Gupta, Avinash Kumar, Dr Harvardhan Hegde, Prof Atul Sood, Sukumar Muralidharan

11.15-1.00pm: Session 6: Political Response to Growing Communalism

Chair: Mahesh Bhatt

Speakers: D Raja-CPI, Digvijay Singh-Congress, DP Tripathi-NCP, Kavita Krishnan-CPI(ML), Ramvilas Pawan-LJP, Sitaram Yechury-CPM

1.00pm-2pm-Lunch

2.00-4.30pm: Session 7: The Way Forward and Recommendations

Chair: Prof KN Panikkar

Speakers: Syeda Hamid, Vrinda Grover, Seema Mustafa, Dr. KM Shrimali, Harsh Mander, Dr John Dayal, Dr. Apoorvanand

April 17, 2013

Celebrating Diversity- An Evening of Poetry, Music and Dance

7.00- 10pm

Welcome: Safeguarding and Celebrating Cultural Diversity: Kamala Bhasin

ANHAD Cultural Group, Uri, J & K

They will be giving two performances of folk Kashmiri Dances Chakri and Ruf.

Joint Performance by Avni Sethi & Dhruv Sangari

In the syncretic and secular imagination the experience of India has ever been that of a river. Both cyclical and linear, singular as well as plural. With streams separating and merging, sometimes blending with other rivers arriving from faraway, occasionally changing course creating a whole new journey in the process. Traveling in solitude yet belonging to all simultaneously.

Embodiments of that river like nature have always cast long shadows across the space and time of the social and cultural history of the subcontinent. Be it Kalidas, Khusrau or Farid, Bulleshah, Tukaram or Kabir, Meera, Tulsi or Raskhan, Ratanbai, Tyagaraja or Akkamahadevi , Iqbal, Premchand or Faiz... Through their interventions in music, art, scholarship and literature they have influenced the discourse and values of generations, widened and deepened the flow of the river and birthed altogether new rivulets.

To mark the 10 years of ANHAD and celebrating the vibrant diversity and streams of consciousness that flow all around us, Interdisciplinary artist Avni Sethi and Sufi musician Dhruv Sangari present 'Dialogues across time'. A collaborative dance and music recital narrating the stories of poets and thinkers speaking to each other through the ages.

Anwar Ali, poet, essayist and film-script writer, is very active in today's Malayalam literary scene.He has published a collection, Mazhakalam, and has won awards for his film scripts.He works as an auditor with the Kerala State Audit Department.

Gauhar Raza is a scientist by profession, and a leading HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urdu” \o "Urdu"Urdu poet, social activist and documentary film maker working to popularize the understanding of science among general public, known for his films like Jung-e-Azadi, on the India's First War of Independence, and HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inqilab” \o “Inqilab” Inqilab (2008) on HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagat... \o "Bhagat Singh"Bhagat Singh and Zulmaton Ke daur Main on Fascism.

GOVT GIRLS SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL, BHALOUT, ROHTAK

A group of young girls will perform Haryanvi Folk Dance on questions of dowry, women subjugation and the fight for gender equality.

KHURSHID AKRAM

Poet from Bihar

MANGLESH DABRAL

He is an established Hindi writer, poet and well know journalist. Manglesh Dabral will recite his poems. He is a major voice in contemporary Hindi poetry. His poetry has been translated into major Indian and foreign languages.

MAXFORT SCHOOL, DWARKA

Students from Maxfort school will perform a song: Barabari- which was specially written for the One Billion Rising campaign for Dwarka event.

NAMRATA PAMNANI

Born in 1980, Namrata Pamnani began her training in Kathak with Guru Smt. Bharti Gupta with later specialization under Pt. Jaikishan Maharaj at the National Institute of Dance, Kathak Kendra, in New Delhi. A graduate in Economics from Delhi University, Namrata decided to take up her passion as a profession. She has also taken formal training in Hindustani classical music and holds a diploma from Prayag Sangeet Samiti; she is also learning the nuances of dhrupad singing from the Gundecha brothers. Namrata believes that dance is a form of self purification.

Some of her major overseas performances have been at the Lincoln Centre in New York, the International Kathak Festival in Chicago, the Avignon Festival in France, and at venues in Switzerland, Estonia, Finland, South Korea, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Moscow, Sri Lanka and Germany.

Within India she has been featured at the Kathak Mahotsava (Baroda), Konark Festival, Pt. Lacchu Maharaj Utsav, Kalakshetra Festival, Natya Vriksha Festival, Taj Mahotsava and Kathak Yatra by Sangeet Natak Academy. Namrata has been a member of the renowned Kathak Kendra Repertory, New Delhi where she had the opportunity of working under some of the best gurus.

Namrata will be performing a piece on non-violence specially conceived for Anhad.

Siddi Goma Tribal Dance Group

The Siddis of Gujarat are a tribal Sufi community of East African origin which came to India eight centuries ago and made Gujarat their home. They carried with them their exceptionally rich musical tradition and kept it alive and flourishing through the generations, unknown to the rest of the world.

A traditional occupation of African-Indian Sufis in Gujarat has been to perform sacred music and dance as wandering faqirs, singing songs to their black Sufi saint, Bava Gor.

Sidi Goma perform in a group of twelve: four lead musicians (drummers and singers) and eight dancers. While the music gradually gets more rapid and excited, the dances unfold with constantly evolving individual and small-group acts of animal imitations, climaxing in a coconut-breaking feat.

The exuberant energy and joy Sidi Goma brings to the stage is captivating and powerful, their unique African-Indian heritage a fascinating discovery, and every performance an exhilarating experience!

VIDYA SHAH is a singer, composer and writer from New Delhi, India. She was initially trained in Carnatic music, and later received guidance in the North Indian genres of Khayal (from Shubha Mudgal and Mujahid Hussain Khan) and Thumri Dadra, and Ghazal (from Shanti Hiranand). She has performed at several national and international forums, including the Tansen Samaroh in Gwalior,
The Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C, The Asia Society in New York and the Bode Museum in Berlin.
A popular performer and a prolific composer, she is a recipient of the Charles Wallace Award, a Senior Fellowship from the Government of India and is Director of “Women on Record”, a performance highlighting the contributions of the forgotten women performers in the Gramophone era. She will be singing progressive poetry from Faiz, Ibn e Insha, Ali Sardar Jafri.

VISHNU NAGAR

He is an established Hindi writer, poet and well know journalist. Vishnu Nagar will recite his poems.

Documentaries by Mohan Kumawat & Sania Hashmi (Anhad Production House) and Arma Ansari (Anhad)

Announced: National Convention - 'India's Descent into Fascism: How Do We Stop It? | April 17 - 18, 2013

2013-04-06T13:39:09Z

Calling all progressive, democratic, secular organisations to join us at the National Convention

‘India's Descent into Fascism: How Do We Stop It?

April 17 & 18, 2013

New Delhi

ANHAD

A DECADE OF RESISTANCE: 2003-2013

Anhad is observing the completion of its ten years. Formed in March 2003 in the aftermath of Gujarat 2002 , ANHAD has actively contested the ideology of hate, the growing authoritarian character of the state, the growth of communal and fascist forces along with doing huge amount of work for the marginalised sections of the society especially women & minorities. ANHAD has intervened at the policy level, has done advocacy work from the grass root to the national level.

Today when the national consciousness is tilting towards the communal ideology and communal thought process has become common sense we feel there is a need to urgently call upon all secular and democratic forces in the country to stop India's Descent into Fascism.

The falling economy, growing unemployment, displacement of people from their natural habitats and the joblessness created by the bursting of the IT bubble is creating a class which ,not being engaged with any ideological people's movement and not having the skills to form a united struggle, is bound to turn towards fascism, and it is under these conditions when the ideas of fascism and dictatorship gain ground.

ANHAD is organising a two day national convention ‘India's Descent into Fascism: How Do We Stop It?' at the Constitution Club, Rafi Marg, New Delhi on April 17 & 18, 2013.

A special panel of academicians, jurists, activists will at the end come out with recommendations for the government and the civil society.

Convention Schedule

APRIL 17, 2013

8.00-9.00am Breakfast for outstation participants and Registration

9.00-9.30am- Welcome

9.30-11.15- Session 1: Voices from the Ground: An Overview of the Situation from different states:

Chair: Gagan Sethi

Speakers : Deepak Bhatt- MP, Dr Anil Panikkar-Haryana, Faisal Anurag- Jharkhand, Kedar Misra-Orissa, Ramzan Chodhury-Haryana, Prof Haragopal- Andhra Pradesh, Dr. A Suneetha, Andhra Pradesh

11.15-1.00pm: Session 2: Voices from the Ground: An Overview of the Situation from different states:

Chair: Aruna Roy

Speakers: Anwar Ali- Kerala, Mohd Arif _UP, Neeraj Jain-Maharashtra, Pritha Kejriwal- West Bengal, Rajendra Sail- Chattisgarh, Shujaat Bukhari-Kashmir , Eric Pinto – Goa

1pm-2pm: Lunch

2pm-3.45pm-Session 3: Voices from the Ground: An Overview of the Situation from different states:

Chair: Prof. Rooprekha Verma

Speakers : Zakia Soman-Gujarat, Uttam Parmar-Gujarat, Yusuf Sheikh-Gujarat, Zamser Ali-Assam, Kavita Srivastava-Rajasthan, Arshad Ajmal-Bihar

3.45-5.30pm: Session 4: Terror a Tool to Demonise Minorities and Sangh Terror Network

Chair: Dr. Ram Puniyani

Speakers: Manisha Sethi, Shahnawaz Alam, Subhash Gatade, Rajeev Yadav, Ajit Sahi

5.30pm -TEA

7.00- 10pm: Celebrating Diversity: An Evening of Poetry, Music and Dance

Welcome: Safeguarding and Celebrating Cultural Diversity: Kamala Bhasin

ANHAD CULTURAL GROUP, URI, JAMMU & KASHMIR, AVNI SETHI, DHRUV SANGARI, GAUHAR RAZA, GOVT GIRLS SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL, BHALOUT, ROHTAK, KHURSHID AKRAM, MANGLESH DABRAL, MAXFORT SCHOOL, DWARKA, NAMRATA PAMNANI, SIDDHI GOMA TRIBAL DANCE GROUP, VIDYA SHAH, VISHNU NAGAR, Documentaries on Anhad by Anhad Production House and Arma Ansari

April 18, 2013

8.00-900am: Breakfast

9.00- 11.15: Session 5: Communalisation of Public and Private Spaces, Cultural, Educational institutions and Media, Globalisation and Communalism

Chair: Colin Gonsalves

Speakers: Amit Sengupta, Anil Choudhry, Dr. Anupam Gupta, Avinash Kumar, Dr Harvardhan Hegde, Prof Atul Sood, Sukumar Muralidharan

11.15-1.00pm: Session 6: Political Response to Growing Communalism

Chair: Mahesh Bhatt

Speakers: D Raja-CPI, Digvijay Singh-Congress, DP Tripathi-NCP, Kavita Krishnan-AIPWA , Ramvilas Pawan-LJP, Sitaram Yechury-CPM

1.00pm-2pm-Lunch

2.00-4.30pm: Session 7: The Way Forward and Recommendations

Chair: Prof KN Panikkar

Speakers: Syeda Hamid, Vrinda Grover, Seema Mustafa, Dr. KM Shrimali, Harsh Mander, Dr John Dayal, Dr. Apoorvanand

Video of One Billion Rising Events in Dwarka, New Delhi - 14 February 2013

anhad e-admin — 2013-02-27T21:31:42Z

- Image Gallery / Videos, New Delhi, Women's Rights, Violence against women

Invitation: One Billion Rising at Dwarka, New Delhi on Feb 14, 2013 (3-6pm)

2013-02-11T19:13:11Z

Anhad, Jansanskriti, Guru Gobind Singh IP University, National Law University, Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences, Bharat Ratna Dr BR Ambedkar University, Maxfort School, Queens Valley School and ANHLGT

Invites you to JOIN US

at the ONE BILLION RISING, Dwarka Event, New Delhi

on February 14, 2013 From 3 am - 6 pm

Street Play by students of Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Science, Dwarka
Skit by students of Guru Gobind Singh IP University
Mime by students of Queen's Valley school
Folk Dance by students of school from Rohtak
Dance Drama by members of Jansanskriti
Dance performance especially prepared for the event by Gauri Divakar and other members of Dristikon, Aditi Mangaldas' Dance troupe
Collaborative performance especially prepared for the event by Avani Sethi and Dhruv Sangari
Video screenings: One Billion Rising - V day, Video by students of University School of Mass Communication, Guru Gobind Singh IP University, Video by Progressive Film, Mumbai & Dwarka
Talks by : Vrinda Grover- Senior advocate, Mayasri, Prof Mrinal -National Law University
and Our Own Dwarka One Billion Rising Song written by Gauhar Raza and set to music by Mont Fort School music teacher

Anhad in collaboration with Jansanskriti, Guru Gobind Singh IP University, National Law University, Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences, Bharat Ratna Dr BR Ambedkar University, Maxfort School, Queens Valley School and ANHLGT is organising a programme in response to the International Call One Billion Rising at the National Law University Auditorium, Sector 14, Dwarka, New Delhi on February 14, 2013 from 3-6pm to Stop Violence Against Women.

The programme in Dwarka is being conceived as a cultural and intellectual response to the culture of violence that exists in our society and we aim to sensitise the younger generation on questions related to gender equality and violence against women. We want to sensitise them to build a society where women are treated as equal citizens as enshrined in our Indian Constitution.

The three hour programme will have talks, poetry, music, dance, skits, video screenings and exhibitions.

Approx 600-700 students and residents of Dwarka, New Delhi are expected to take part in the event.

PIL Filed in Dhule Case by Victims and Anhad

2013-01-28T14:46:22Z

PRESS RELEASE

28 January 2013

A Writ Petition (PIL), under Article 32 of the Constitution of India was filed today by Mohammad G. Naseer, who is the father of the deceased Asim Ahmad aged 24 years, Asif Ali who is the elder brother of deceased Imran Ali aged 23 years and Anhad which reputed NGO working on issues relating to secularism and communal violence. This petition was filed in respect of the communal attack on Muslims at Dhule, Maharashtra on 6.1.2013 in which the police themselves participated in smashing the vehicles of the Muslim community, in setting fire to their shops and houses and in firing in such a manner that 6 persons were killed and 42 injured, all from the Muslim community. 35 houses were burnt to the ground and many shops were also burnt. After that the police registered FIRs against the Muslim community and it is only much later when the minority community raised a protest that complaints are being accepted by the police, but no FIR is being registered behalf of the Muslim community till date.

The PIL is seeking a direction from this Court for the establishment of an SIT investigate this incident in respect of the facts set out in the petition and prosecute the criminal offenders including police personnel and government officials in accordance with law and to pass an order directing the respondent to immediately pay Rs.25 lakhs to the next of the kin of the deceased, Rs. 15 lakhs to those disabled, Rs. 10 Lakhs to those injured with Police Bullets and suitable compensation to those whose houses, shops were burnt, looted and destroyed.

In support of the PIL, petitioner has annexed a citizen's fact finding report which was released in January 2013. The fact finding committee consisted of Shabnam Hashmi from Anhad one of the Petitioner organization, Prof. Ram Punyani of the All India Secular Forum, Prof. Apoorvanand of Delhi University, Advocate Nihalsing B. Rathore and others. All of them are eminent names from the social fraternity. This report was prepared after the fact finding committee visited the area and met social, religious and political activists, government officials, the District Magistrate, the victims including the families of the deceased and injured, and people from different walks of life. The Committee members also visited the hospital and saw the records and visited the areas where the houses were burnt.

A minor skirmish which could easily have been handled by the police had they been sensitive escalated into a full-fledged attack on the minority community. The testimonies reveal that not only did the police not intervene but they told the people to settle scores directly and actively instigated the attacks on the minority community.

Then without making a preliminary effort to disperse the crowd using the public address system or tear gas or by resorting to a lathi charge, the police resorted to indiscriminate firing that lasted for more than 2 hours. This firing was resorted to not to disperse the mob but rather to cause fatal injury to members of the minority community. The actions of the police show that they were elements within the force who acted in a communal manner. This is evident from the video clipping showing policemen using their lathis to damage the scooters and other properties of the Muslim community and showing policemen throwing stones at the minority community and standing by watching members of the majority community throwing stones. Video footage showing policemen setting fire to the houses of the minority community and above mentioned incidents have been submitted to the Supreme Court.

For queries talk to: Tariq Adeeb- 93106 77131 / shabnam hashmi-9811807558