Fwd: Celebrating Right to Dissent: A one-day cultural festival
अभिजित Abhijit
Lokayat and Binayak Sen Muktata Samiti organise a unique festival of drama, exhibition, films and a talk by Dr. Binayak Sen:
Celebrating Right to Dissent
A one-day cultural festival in defence of our Right to Protest
The Ganesh Festival is organised every year with much enthusiasm. As a democratic society, we also need to celebrate festivals extolling democratic values.
Big corporations, in the name of development, in an unholy alliance with politicians, bureaucracy and the police, have launched a ferocious offensive to seize the lands, water and forests of the poor, for setting up big projects and earn super profits. It has led to massive displacement of people and loss of their livelihoods. The people are obviously fighting back. And so, under all kinds of pretexts like fighting terrorism, the Centre (nearly one-third of our present MPs have criminal cases pending against them) and state governments are ruthlessly suppressing this opposition, using the most draconian laws. The recent murderous police firing on the farmers in Maval is only one of the many attacks on the people.
The rulers say that whatever they say or do in the name of development is right and there should be no opposition. But we say the right to dissent is a vital democratic right and we want to celebrate this right! In this cultural festival in defence of our Right to Protest, apart from screening documentaries and an exhibition in recognition of people's voices of dissent all over the country, we are staging a PLAY by the fantastic theatre group from Delhi, DAASTANGOI, and we have invited DR. BINAYAK SEN to give a talk on the state of democracy and human rights in our country.
Dr. Sen is a paediatrician who has spent the past 35 years providing health care to the neediest and poorest people of Chhattisgarh, and is also one of the finest human rights activists in the country. He was actively opposing Salwa Judum, the illegal private army created by the Chhattisgarh state government to terrorise ordinary tribal people and drive them off their ancestral lands. The Salwa Judum has now been declared illegal by the Supreme Court too! To silence his tireless and fearless voice, the government incarcerated him for more than 2 years. Dr. Sen's arrest had led to an outpouring of protest not just all over the country, but in many cities across the world. The Supreme Court trashed the sedition charges brought against him by the Chhattisgarh government, and granted him bail. However, there are hundreds of others who are languishing in jails, booked under similar false charges.
Lokayat along with Binayak Sen Muktata Samiti is organising a cultural festival on September to popularise, celebrate the Right to Dissent. We appeal all citizens to participate in these programmes.
Celebrating the Right to Dissent
A day-long festival of drama, films and exhibition along with a talk by Dr. Binayak Sen, to celebrate our Right to Protest
Date: Sunday, September 18, 2011
Morning Program
Time: 10 am – 5 pm
Venue: Lokayat Hall, Opp. Syndicate Bank, Law College Road, Near Nal Stop, Pune.
Inauguration, 10 am: by Prof. Ilina Sen
Exhibition of Contemporary Art: Emerging artists from Pune, Nasik, Bombay and Baroda, join together to respond to the incarceration of Dr. Binayak Sen, and to assert their right to dissent in democratic India. The art works take the format of a print portfolio, installations, and performance. The artists include Sachin Bonde, Vinod Chavan, Swapnil Kshirsagar, Prabhakar Pachpute, Pooja Panchal, Rupali Patil, Deepali Patkar and Nikhil Raunak. The exhibition is coordinated by Sumesh Sharma and Tushar Joag.
Documentary Film Festival
Films being screened:
Session One: 10 am to 1 noon:
Prisoners of Conscience: Dir. Anand Patwardhan, Duration 45 mins
Synopsis: Focuses on the state of emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi from June 1975 to March 1977.
Tales from the Margins: Dir. Kavita Joshi, Duration: 23 mins
Synopsis: On the grim human rights situation in Manipur, Sharmila Irom's epic hunger strike, and the courageous struggle of Manipuri women against the AFPSA.
Baphlimali: Dir. Amar Kanwar, Duration: 26 mins
Synopsis: Resistance movement of tribals of South Orissa against big corporations seeking to displace them for bauxite mining.
The Killing State: In honour of Mamia Abu Jamaal: Deep Dish TV film, Duration:28 mins
Synopsis: On Afro-American leaders who have been silenced in the US, and the growing prison industry in that country.
Session Two: 2 pm to 5 pm
For the sake of development: Dir. Nahanyate, Duration 30 mins
Synopsis: On the genocide in Nandigram by goons and police to forcibly displace people in the name of development.
Images of Development: Dir. Pramod Gupta, Duration: 25 mins
Synopsis: On demolition of Slums in Kolkata on World Human Rights Day to beautify the city.
Fourth World War: Bignoise Films, Duration 75 mins
Synopsis: On the struggle for democracy across four continents.
In addition, a number of short films by Anand Patwardhan, K. P. Sasi and other directors will be screened.
Evening Program
Time: 5.30 – 8.30 pm
Venue: Kale Hall, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Deccan Gymkhana, Pune
Talk by Dr. Binayak Sen
Topic: Peoples' struggle for social justice and democratic rights
Play by the renowned Delhi-based cultural group, Dastangoi
Dastaan-e-Sedition
Directed by: Mahmood Farooqui (co-director of the film, Peepli Live)
Entry free for all programs.
Do join us for this wonderful festival.
Dr. Abhay Shukla 94223 17515 Alka Joshi 94223 19129
For Binayak Sen Muktata Samiti For Lokayat
Neeraj Jain, Lokayat
"Mrudanga", Bldg No. 3A, Flat No. 6,
Naad Brahma Society, Warje,
Pune - 411 058
Ph. Mobile 094222 20311
Landline: 020-25231251