Vikalp Vārtā # 21 - Bringing learning back into the hands of local communities

 
Zoom Link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88507933155

Vikalp Vārtā # 20 - Urban Agriculture

 

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87527998470

Vikalp Vārtā # 19 - Young women discover their surroundings through collective action

 

Zoom Link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83483829020

Vikalp Vārtā # 18 - Weaving together health care, food, farming, craft, education and self-governance

 

Zoom link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtd-GprD8sHdYjOfUTKrCPF3bUon5lvdCB

Vikalp Vārtā # 17 - Is art irrelevant?

Zoom Link: 

Zoom Link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUocuiuqzguHtyqIBUGwLBvmswOMGuk_Dve

 

Vikalp Vārtā # 16 - Collective ownership and governance of jal, jangal and zameen

Zoom Link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83094692866

Vikalp Vārtā # 15 - Participatory Guarantee System (PGS): towards organic certification, democratically!

 

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81187517911

Vikalp Vārtā # 14 - City goes local with its food system!

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87413716546

Vikalp Vārtā # 13 - North East Network

 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86231772059

Vikalp Vārtā # 12 - Learning, Healing, Creating and Communing in Jail

The Swaraj Jail University project began in October 2018 with the purpose of prototyping a self-designed learning program in the Udaipur Central Jail. The purpose is to help inmates explore their passions, gain practical skills, and re-ignite self-esteem, leadership and life vision in the face of the numerous challenges of incarcerated life. The inmates are invited and supported to design their own personalized learning programs based on their interests and needs. Everyone is a teacher and a learner in the Jail University. It is inspired by our last 20 years of action-research in Shikshantar and Swaraj University. The Swaraj Jail University was initiated by Shikshantar, Art of Living, Gandhi Ashram-Moved by Love, Edible Routes Foundation and Navgurukul in partnership with the Udaipur Central Jail staff and the inmates. 

You can learn more from the links below.

Reimagining Higher Education in the Jail, a story on Vikalp Sangam website

An interview with Manish Jain

Stars Behind the Bars, a documentary film

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88069408710

Vikalp Vārtā # 11 - Resilience of Collaborative Markets

From bonded labourers to tea plantation owners. From living in scattered isolated hamlets, to having their own strong representative organisation – the AMS. From shying away from modern health care and education to having their own community hospital and school. It's been a 35-year long march towards self-reliance for the adivasis of Gudalur.

When tea prices crashed, the AMS together with three other community groups set up the Just Change India Producer Company - an initiative to create an alternative market system where producers, consumers, and investors work together in mutually beneficial ways by trading their products with each other. A market where everybody makes a living and no one makes a killing.

Stan Thekaekara and Anil Misquith from ACCORD and Just Change, pivotal organisations in this journey to self-reliance will share their experiences and insights.

Link to the recording 

Vikalp Vārtā # 10 - Inner work for Social Change

Youth Alliance is a 9-year old organisation based out of Delhi. YA aims to nurture empathic leaders who apply their head, heart and hands to understand and serve the world making it more equitable, cooperative and sustainable. We do this through immersive journeys that are based on inner exploration, community building and exposure of multiple realities. Youth Alliance is a community of over 650 young people engaged in cultivating meaningful transformation of inner and outer worlds. All this is enabled by a collaborative organisation design, well-being focussed team and commitment to inner work by the team. Know more here: https://www.youthallianceofindia.org/

With the covid-19 situation, an interconnected campaign emerged in the community called 'Hope through the Cracks' - seeing the crisis as an opportunity to notice the systemic dysfunction, reorient our relationship with nature and take the focus back to what's essential. 

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88090273337

Vikalp Vārtā # 9- Learning to connect back with nature, land and people

Marudam is a learning community situated on an eight-acre farm in Tiruvannamalai, TN with about 100 adults and children, some of who live on the farm. It is one of the activities of The Forest Way Trust, engaged in afforestation and ecological initiatives in and around Tiruvannamalai. This twelve-year old community school has beautifully integrated living, working, learning and adventure in creative ways. Some of their unique programs are their craft week & mela, a week-long immersive living and learning with artist(e)s and artisans, and the children's involvement in restoring the ecology of the Arunachala hill.

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84114117338

Vikalp Vārtā # 8 - This is our city too! Community mobilisation in Bhuj, Kachchh

Vikalp Varta invites you to its 8th dialogue with some citizens and civil society members of Bhuj City who have been working towards decentralising, feminizing, ecologising, and revitalizing urban economy and planning. We will be joined by members of Jalstrot Sneh Samvardhan Samiti (Water Sources Augmentation Committee), Nirman Sathi Sangathan (Migrants' Association), Bhuj Saher Sheri Pheria Sangathan (Bhuj City Street Vendors' Association) , Bhuj Saher Pashu Ucherak Maldhari Sangathan (Bhuj City Cattle Rearers' Association), Hunnarshala, ACT, Sahjeevan, Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan, and SETU Abhiyan (Language: Hindi with translation in English)

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87535509376

Recording of the Vārtā :

 

Tribal Health Initiative

View this email in your browser

Building you immunity - rebuilding farmers lives :  Ancient wisdom teaches us that turmeric is among the best immunity builders in our cuisine armory - in current times, our protective shield against the deadly virus spreading like wildfire. And modern research says that the most powerful natural defense we have against the “cytokine storm” which is the final killer in Covid 19 is turmeric (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25600522). The farmers of the Sittilingi Valley - have over 50 tons of high quality organic certified turmeric, which they are finding it difficult to sell, because marketing lines are blocked. Here is where YOU come in . In a project sponsored by Rotary Bangalore, we are selling this Covid shield - to be delivered by courier to you - click this link - https://www.fueladream.com/home/campaign/22894 - to make a purchase as well as helping the tribal farmers in distress. Its a win-win situation for all - make this an opportunity to make a purchase for you and make a present to your loved ones and friends. Please share this in as much forums as possible. Delivering to 5 Southern States only now. Cost Rs 250/kg including transport – minimum order 4 kgs

Aamon Mahila Chasi Sanggathan

Due to the lockdown, women have lost most sources of cash income which came from agricultural labour and sale of NTFP. This has created a cash shortage to buy seeds for the coming kharif season. The collective plans to introduce pulses as a part of the indigenous and organic agriculture package to all its farmers but this will not be possible without the additional funds. This why they are sending out a call for help and financial assistance to the larger world. 

 

Ketto Link for contribution

Vikalp Vārtā # 7 - Our health, our wealth: adivasis show the way to self-reliance

Amhi Amchaya Arogayasathi (We for our health) started nearly three decades ago in Maharashtra has worked towards self-reliance by focusing on health and in turn addressing the issues of food security, livelihoods, water, and women among tribal communities. The organisation has been closely working on issues of maternal mortality , neonatal mortality, and malnutrition among tribal communities by focusing on traditional eating and healing practices, promoting organic agriculture and kitchen gardens, and forest based livelihoods. This dialogue will explore how AAA's work can inform our pathways towards a holistic approach to health crises and what we can learn from their on ground experiences. http://www.arogyasathi.org/
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84765429224

Recording of the Vārtā:              

                                    

 

 

 

Just Being-Listening Sessions for distress due to COVID-19 and resulting lockdown

The current situation with COVID-19 and lockdown has not been easy to process for most people. The forced isolation can feel distressing for various reasons. It can bring up unresolved emotions and thoughts, which can be difficult to acknowledge all by oneself. If you are locked down in unsafe home environment, it could feel even more threatening.The postponed or cancelled plans and goals can bring in a sense of anxiety. Rising number of cases and the death toll can cause panic. Empty streets and silence imposed by curfews can lead to a sense of isolation. 

If you are going through such difficult thoughts and emotions and more, and feel the need to address them in a safe space, Just Being's student listeners are offering Free Online Listening Spaces.

Video Reports on Lockdown - Karwan E Mohabbat

Karwan E Mohabbat comes out with a series of video reports of the impact of lockdown on the marginalised communities. 

1)  Voices From The Margins | #LockdownIndia |  Karwan e Mohabbat 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn-giC1Qk5M&t=2s 

2) My Name is Mohammad Arshad and I Want to Study | Karwan e Mohabbat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yCXASLNCuk

3) MSME Workers In Crisis: Unpaid, Hungry and Helpless | Karwan e Mohabbat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQfDfn4dkvY&t=3s

4) "Mr. Modi, Mr. Kejriwal, Where Are You When The Poor Of India Need Your Help?" | Karwan e Mohabbat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCzwtfi1Dig&t=21s

5) I Stood For Hours With My Children And Aadhar Card But I Did Not Get Any Ration | Lockdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYK9Z5LHQvg&t=110s

6) Lockdown and the Right to Food and Dignity | Harsh Mander

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRlcrL253Rw

7) LABOUR DAY 2020 - Workers Under Lockdown in #Bhiwandi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikdynm2mF5A&t=65s

8) Fractures in Solidarity: Reaching Out To The Most Vulnerable | Karwan e Mohabbat
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy_Vli4B4BA

9) Reaching The Last in Line | Karwan e Mohabbat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV7hM8MkDmc       

10) The Endless Walk To Reach Home | Karwan e Mohabbat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1IIeoEMB0E       

11) Hunger And Stigma During Covid-19 | Sex Workers in Lockdown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9W4hR7BWo8      

Highway Help

We are a group of people from different organizations working in Haryana, Punjab, Himachal, Delhi and UP. Since the lockdown was announced, we have been working to provide ration to migrant workers and daily wage labourers stuck here. However, with the lockdown extended for the fourth time now, the condition of many migrant workers has gone from bad to worse and they have started walking to their home states. They are walking alone or with families or in groups and have hundreds of kilometers to cover.

With this concern, we have started Highway Help- a free shuttle service providing immediate relief to those walking on highways. We have started *short distance shuttles* that run between major cities on highways and takes those who are walking to relief points where food and water are available. We are also starting *long-distance point-to-point, Direct Buses* that take people straight to their Home city. To donate or know more, Contact:
_9867348307 (Himshi)_
_9988745842 (Munish)_