Issue 41 Vol II, June 15, 2007
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Issue 41 Vol II, June 15, 2007 |
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L E T T E R S AN excellent series of articles on the Dera Sacha Sauda. This past week has brought a flood of articles about a sect absolutely new to me. I'm truly surprised I hadn't heard about it before. Your 40th edition provides more news in depth than all of the other media items. A series on major sects in Punjab and northwest India would be very worthwhile; especially in terms of the membership. My impression is that the Radhaswamis draw more upper class and even foreign participants. You suggest that the Dera Sacha Sauda appeals primarily to lower castes, and I presume, classes. The number you cite are staggering. I assume there is a major difference between core members and fringe participants. I assume that membership, like the Radhaswamis extend beyond Sikhs. Rahim Singh must have been covertly affiliated with Chautala and Badal in the past to have amassed the land holdings. Why then did he support Congress in this year's Assembly elections. He must have thought that Amarinder would retain the gaddi. Bad calculation. Don't mess with politics if you are on top! You also suggest that disillusionment with contemporary organized religions fuel the support for these Deras. In this sense, if true, there is a comparison with radical, especially evangelical religious "sects" in the U.S. Mega churches in the US that aren't explicitly political is another phenomena. Shanti,
Kabir: A communication initiative on Right to Information Description of initiative: In India, Various groups and individuals are using Right To Information Act 2005 as a tool to fight against corruption, in very innovative ways. It's encouraging to see how ordinary people, who usually do not have access to government officials and machinery, are forcing governments to respond. There are numerous examples of the empowerment of people in this way. But still these examples of using RTI were isolated and not too frequent. A large number of people were not even aware of the existence of such a law and its impact on the lives of other people like them. To motivate people, these success stories need to be spread. People would also need to be educated on how and where to use RTI Act. Kabir, being a communication initiative aims to bridge this gap by getting all relevant information out to the masses. One of the key operations of Kabir has been the collection of positive examples of implementation of the RTI Act from across the country. This information is then disseminated amongst the masses (both rural and urban) by using conventional and non conventional media. Kabir produces short films & documentaries, and publishes booklets based on the success stories of RTI Act – which are then disseminated to the masses through mainstream media, workshops, campaigns and other NGOs. Apart from these initiatives, Kabir also organizes media-community partnerships, so as to ensure the even progress of India's urban and rural areas, and to widely publicize the current problems being faced in any given area of using RTI. Individuals and Groups looking to know about RTI: These are citizen's, student's, professional's groups and social workers who want to learn and know more about RTI. This also includes NGOs who want to be a part of RTI awareness campaign.
Contact
Information: Manish Sisodia ,Chief Functionary, KABIR(NGO) |
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