The Hindu : NGO plans communal harmony workshops

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 16, 2003

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Other States - Gujarat

NGO plans communal harmony workshops

By Our Special Correspondent

AHMEDABAD May 15. Workshops to make people understand better the ways to fight fascism and communalism have been planned by a newly-formed voluntary organisation, ANHAD (Act Now for Harmony and Democracy).

The Delhi-based organisation formed by Shabnam Hashmi, Shubha Mudgal, Harsh Mander, K. M. Pannikar and others, has planned to hold six five-day workshops in Gujarat, which faced the worst-ever communal riots last year. To be held in Surat, Godhra, Himmatnagar, Surendranagar, Kutch and Ahmedabad, the workshops will be attended by some 800 activists and young volunteers, who in turn would hold similar ones in other parts of the State.

According to Ms. Hashmi, workshops held in Rajasthan had proved to be a major success and the organisation now planned to organise similar ones in Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

"The endeavour will be to create a fraternity of secular communities for ensuring peace and social understanding. Each locality will have its own peculiarities in cultural practices and social relations, which will be given particular attention," she said.

From each workshop, 15 of the most active volunteers would be selected for further training in street-plays, theatre, music and other cultural activities.

They would travel from village to village performing such shows to attract people, particularly the youth. Prominent filmmakers, cultural activists and secular leaders from all over the country would be holding the workshops, she said.

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NGO plans communal harmony workshops