Shruti Nagvanshi received Savitri Bai Phule Nation award for women empowerment and resilience by Savitri Bai Phule Foundation with hand of an eminent author Sharankumar Limbale
Links of newspaper:
Sunday, March 27, 2022
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
UP Elections: In Eastern Region, Dalits Search for Alternatives
Lenin Raghuvanshi, a Varanasi-based #dalit rights activist, political thinker and social entrepreneur, gave a context to this apparent strategy.
“The community is still oppressed. Since 'upper' caste people generally surround their ghettos, they live under their influence. Fearing consequences and possible harassment, they either prefer to keep mum about who they are going to vote for, or they voice in favour of the party — which has the support of the majority of the area," he explained.
The reality, he said, is that their vote will go in favour of the party the BSP wants them to shift to. “If the BSP's candidate of the particular constituency is in the contest, dalits, especially jatavs and #musahars, will wholeheartedly support the party. And if not, the votes will split among #BJP, Samajwadi Party (#SP), #BSP and #Congress. One thing is for sure in this election: SP has managed to eat into BJP's support base of dalits to a large extent," he claimed.
According to him, the pollsters are utterly wrong by not counting BSP and Congress in the ongoing polls that have already been held on two-thirds seats.
“BSP’s votes are still largely intact, and the party is capable enough to transfer its votes to the party it wants to return to power,” he added.
Asked what led the dalits to abandon BSP and rally behind BJP in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2017 Assembly polls, he said: "Dalits are considered a homogenous community, which is not true. There is an internal difference even within the community. There are outcasts among outcasts. For instance, musahars, doms (scavengers) and valmikis are discriminated against within the larger dalit community. The jatavs and others don't marry their son or daughter in these two caste groups."
“The role of the opposition was to engage in the social awakening of the entire community. They had the responsibility to bridge the gap by bringing them into mainstream society. Unfortunately, this did not happen, and the gap between the shudra and ati-shudra kept widening to the extent that except jatavs, the majority of the dalit community went in favour of the saffron party," he continued.
He said the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) was “intelligent” enough to understand the importance of the community in the state’s electoral politics. And therefore, RLD reached out to ‘bahujans’ (more commonly known as Other Backward Classes) by holding a series of interactions in different districts of western Uttar Pradesh. “It was the first occasion when jats were having discussions with dalits in a cordial atmosphere without any discrimination. It resulted in a new political equation that will impact the electoral outcomes on March 10 (the day of results of UP elections) for sure,” he concluded.
Ayar village pradhan Rajendra Prasad Maurya too, sounded almost on the same line. The movement of the social and political awakening of dalits launched by BSP founder late Kanshi Ram, he said, was long lost as Mayawati measurably failed to carry forward his legacy. He alleged that Behenji (BSP chief Mayawati) worked on one-point agenda: sell party tickets in lakhs or crores and make money.
“She only capitalised on dalits but did not do anything substantial for their social, economic and educational upliftment. Therefore, many dalit communities began distancing themselves from BSP and went closer to the BJP, which had emerged as a ray of hope for many as the party had ruled the state, not for a longer period like the BSP and the SP. The community was again betrayed after the BJP tried to snatch their reservation and impose majoritarianism," he said.
Therefore, Maurya predicted, a large majority of the community, especially the educated lot, will vote against BJP, at least in the eastern belt of the state. "But it is difficult for an outsider, who does not well understand the community, to feel this undercurrent as this section of voters is not outspoken and prefers to vote silently," he added. Despite facing discrimination and atrocities, dalits have traditionally maintained proximity with the country's upper and feudal classes.
Please read full article:
https://www.newsclick.in/elections-eastern-region-dalits-search-alternatives
#LeninRaghuvanshi
Wednesday, February 9, 2022
Way of Struggle: Lenin Raghuvanshi
Read poem of Dr. Pushpita Awasthi on me and also follow comment by my mentor Dr. Mohanlal Panda :
Violent, anarchic, communal, chauvinist and exploitative clan yet Lenin, you practised Non violence, democratic principles, secularism, pro women and belived in sharing your opportunities and resources. You, Shrutiji and Kabeer have paid heavy price for that. You are different !!!!!!
Saturday, February 5, 2022
Global March against child Labour and Kabeer Karunik
My son Kabeer Karunik welcomed at office of Bachpan Bachaao Andolan, Kalkaji, New Delhi in 1999 by Shri Kailash Satyarthi, co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
It is noted that Lenin Raghuvanshi was core marcher at Global March against Child Labour from Philippines to Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia when Kabeer born on 24 January, 1998. Met with his son after one month.
Again Lenin went #Spain, France, #Geneva
Kabeer Karunik with his mother Shruti Nagvanshi and father Lenin Raghuvanshi, 2022
With H.E. Corazon Aquino, President of Philippine at Global March against Child labour, Manila, January,1998
Handing over petition to H. E. Jacques Chirac, French President for child labour free sporting goods at welcome of core marchers of Global March against Child Labour, 1998
Lenin at Paris, France at Global March against Child Labour, 1998
#KailashSatyarthi #BBA #SAACS #LeninRaghuvanshi #ShrutiNagvanshi #KabeerKarunik #GlobalMarch #ChildLabour #Paris #Manila #France #JacquesChirac #CorazonAquino #Philippine #NobelPrize #NobelPeacePrize
Saturday, January 29, 2022
महात्मा गांधी एक सोच हैं, केवल एक व्यक्ति नहीं..और सोच हमेशा नश्वर होती है।
गाँधी मेरे दादा के लिए जीवन का मूल थे. दादा का मेरे जीवन पर ज्यादा असर रहा. मेरा बचपन अपने दादा और दादी के साथ बिता और मेरा नाम मेरे पिता ने दिया और मेहनत करना माँ से सिखा. दादा ने कहा आपके घर से ज्यादा समाज में समृद्धि के लिए कार्य करना चाहिए. जिसका असर मेरे ऊपर रहा.
आयुर्वेदाचार्य करने के बाद समाज के काम को चुना . युवको और बेरोजगारों के रोजगार के लिए सामाजिक रूप से व्यवसाय भी शुरू किया. किन्तु मैंने अपने एकमात्र पुत्र को पडोसी स्कूल में शिक्षा दिलवाया. विदेश वंचितों के बच्चो को भेजा. कार्यालय और समाज के दिए गए सामाजिक सामुदायिक केंद्र से कमतर दो कमरे का घर रहने के लिए रखा जो 2007 के बाद रंगाई और पुताई से भी बंचित रहा. मेरे साथ व्यवसाय और समाज सेवा में काम कर रहे साथी के पुत्र और पुत्रिया मेरे पुत्र से ज्यादा अभिज्यात स्कूल में शिक्षा लिए या ले रहे है. अनेको गांधीवादी और अम्बेडकरवादी कहने वाले लोगो का घर और पुत्र-पुत्रियों के स्चूलो को देकरअभिज्यातवाद की याद आ जाती है. इनमे से अनेको लोग लोगो को
प्रमाणपत्र भी बाटते देखा है. आपका जीवन क्या है और लोगो को क्या दे रहे है वो आपके सोच की बुनियाद बताता है. गैंग बनाने के प्रतिक नहीं है गाँधी जी.
अहिंसा के पुजारी बापू की पुण्यतिथि पर श्रद्धांजलि अर्पित करते हुए बसप्रणाम इतना ही कहना चाहूंगा कि महात्मा गांधी एक सोच हैं, केवल एक व्यक्ति नहीं..और सोच हमेशा नश्वर होती है।
#Gandhi #GandhiForever #MahatmaGandhi #Bapu #महात्मागाँधी #बापू
Monday, January 17, 2022
Focus On Adolescent Girls, Kitchen Gardens Helping Musahar, Nut Communities in Varanasi
A #Musahar family with their daughterPicture courtesy #PVCHR
Focus On Adolescent Girls, Kitchen Gardens Helping Musahar, Nut Communities in #Varanasi
In 2017, the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), with the support of Child Rights and You (#CRY), adopted 50 villages and a couple of slums to work on the issue of child survival (maternal, neonatal health and nourishment) in the most marginalised communities in four blocks of Varanasi district.
Kotali Nut lives in Aura block of Varanasi district in Uttar Pradesh. Kotali and her husband Mannu Nut have a monthly income of around Rs 3,000 which is very difficult to fulfill basic needs. Ever since they were introduced to kitchen gardening last year, they are able to include nutritious vegetables in their meal which has had a positive effect on their health.
There was a vacant plot behind Kotali’s house, in Nonari nut ghetto, Phuwarikhurd of Aura block, where she did kitchen gardening, sowing different types of seasonal seeds like sponge gourd, squash, pumpkin, snake gourd, bitter gourd, ridge gourd. She began her kitchen garden in July 2018, thanks to the efforts of People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), and is happy with the result.
“Before we used to eat rice, roti with salt. But now we have a lot of green vegetables with our meals after we began kitchen gardening. It effects our health as well,” she said. Kotali produced around 54 kg of different types of vegetables -- like 15 kg of sponge gourd, 32 kg of squash, 4 kg of pumpkin, 2 kg of ridge gourd and 1 kg bitter gourd.
The story is the same with Jarina Nut, wife of Bholai Nut, whose monthly income is around just Rs 2,000-3-000. Like Kotali, Jarina also took to kitchen gardening and is sowing different types of seasonal vegetables. Jarina says she produced 39 kg of green vegetables. “We had enough fresh vegetables everyday for our meals. It is very tasty and healthy,” she said.
Kabutara Nut, wife of Nandu Nut, has a kitchen garden where they grow different types of seasonal vegetables. They have also a hen coop in their home. Initially they were scared thinking the hens would damage the sown seeds, but PVCHR workers informed them about how to protect their land by covering it with bamboo fencing.
Nandu’s son Rajiv helps him to protect the land and in weeding and sorting. Regular follow-up by PVCHR helped to sustain their enthusiasm. They produced 29 kg of vegetables.
In the Musahar ghetto of Phuwarikhurd, Aura block of Varanasi, Sanju and her husband Sushil grow vegetables according to their taste. Sanju says her husband helps with the kitchen garden, sowing seeds, in manuring, weeding, sorting and also protects the land. “When the garden started producing vegetables, we had different types of veggies daily in our meals. We never bought any vegetables earlier because we can’t afford it. Now we share vegetables with our relatives and friends,” said Sushil.
There are 13 Musahar families in the Musahar ghetto, Aayer Village, Harauwa block of Varanasi district. They work as labour. Six men work as a carriers in a hardware shop, some others ride tractors and one family works in a brick factory. A woman also works as a daily wage labourer. They sow crops and graze in other lands for money. They don’t have their own land, but they have some land near their homes where they started kitchen gardening with different types of seasonal vegetable seeds.
In 2017, the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), with the support of Child Rights and You (CRY), adopted 50 villages and a couple of slums to work on the issue of child survival (maternal, neonatal health and nourishment) in the most marginalized communities in four blocks of Varanasi district. The Right to Survival is one of the four child right categories in the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Children. Survival Rights include the child’s right to life and to fulfilling the needs of a child to lead a happy life. These include nutrition, shelter, adequate living standards, and access to health services for a healthy and happy childhood.
After entering the village, PVCHR did a baseline survey and focused on group discussion to understand the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) of the community. Based on the KAP mapping, they prepared strategies based on their interest and influence. The PVCHR team explained how the major problems identified in the baseline surveys were stereotypical thinking, superstition, and lack of trust in the government-sponsored healthcare schemes. The below-par presence of the health Sub Centres, Primary Healthcare Centres, Community Healthcare centres is the main hurdle in the realization of health services for pregnant women and their children.
These communities faced apathy from the village heads and did not get access to various government schemes. Due to lack of knowledge and resources, adolescent girls use dirty cloth during periods instead of sanitary pads. The adolescent girls have no source to obtain information regarding the biological changes in the body and were left to follow longstanding and illogical concepts.
The changes and developments in the bodies of adolescents also affects their health. Adolescents mainly suffer from anaemia and weight loss or low weight. Lack of information is the primary reason behind that. During the analysis of the sample survey conducted across 20 villages in Varanasi, we found that, due to ill-treatment and negligence in the government hospitals, 19 families out of 20 were facing a severe debt crisis.
PVCHR organized a meeting with marginalized people and encouraged them to utilize the vacant plots of land near their homes. They were informed about the importance and process of kitchen gardening.
A Girl Adolescence and Nutrition Fair was organized by PVCHR with the support of New Zealand High Commission in Harauwa Block level in October. The main purpose of the fair was to inform people about various issues related to adolescence such as Reproduction Health, Menstruation, Infection, Personal hygiene and Nutrition.
In the fair for adolescences, issue-based posters were displayed. Posters created on the basis of issues came from meetings and folk schools with girls and their family’s members. Adolescents were aware about the reproduction process, menstruation process, personal hygiene, health, reproductive health and nutrition. The main slogan of the programme through the posters was information to adolescent girls, about reproductive health, nutrition and love. Also, they were told they must care about their health and wear sanitary pads during #menstruation. Girls should increase their iron intake by eating green vegetables. The adolescent girls were encouraged to freely speak on menstruation. The girl focused on the slogan, the messages, information and posters and also discussed among each other.
Kitchen Gardens - The Way To Fight Hunger And Malnutrition
picture courtesy PVCHR
Kitchen Gardens - The Way To Fight #Hunger And #Malnutrition
Many Musahar communities, which have been supported by People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (#PVCHR), have started kitchen gardens to include fresh vegetables and fruits in their diet.
India is known for its beautiful landscapes and extraordinary culture, but the caste system continues to dictate the lives of India’s citizens, with the Dalit and tribal communities having to face marginalisation and discrimination.
Musahar means “rat eaters”. Their main business even today, is to kill rats They are considered “untouchable” and are relegated to the lowest jobs.
Despite the fact that untouchability was officially banned when India adopted its Constitution in 1950, discrimination against #Musahars remained and in 1989 the government passed legislation known as The Prevention of Atrocities Act. The act among other things made it illegal to parade people naked through the streets, take away their land, foul their water, interfere with their right to vote, and burn down their homes. Many of the community children would not find entry in schools since the upper castes would not want their children to study along with Musahar children.
Since then, violence has escalated largely as a result of the emergence of a grassroots human rights movement among Musahars to demand their rights and resist the dictates of upper castes.
Most of the Musahar people work in fields owned by others or migrate to the cities. Their standards of living force their children to work even in hazardous industries. I visited their homes and noticed how these communities live right next to the upper castes. Rice fields owned by the rich people surround their homes. Some of their women just need to cross one street to go and clean the houses of the upper castes. Slavery is just round the corner.
Many Musahar communities, which have been supported by People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (#PVCHR), have changed their diet, and now can afford to eat pork, chicken and fish. Many have started kitchen gardens, to include fresh vegetables and fruits in their diet. PVCHR is an Indian non-governmental organisation that fights for the rights of marginalised people in several North-Indian states, especially in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
Budhana Devi, wife of Sanjay Kumar, lives in the Musahar ghetto, Sanjhoi village, Araajiline block of Varanasi district. She has five members in her family. Her husband rides a tractor and works as a mud carrier. He earns around Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 a month. Budhana Devi says, “I have also worked in a brick factory with my husband. In between that period, I fell ill so I came back home. Poor monthly income was the biggest problem to run a livelihood. Most of the time we had roti and rice with salt. We always waited for an occasion or festival to have vegetables.”
“But since we started kitchen gardening we regularly have 2kgs of sponge gourd (torai in Hindi), 1 kg of bitter gourd (karela), 1 and a half kg of snake gourd (chichinda) in a day, and almost in total 60 kgs of sponge gourd, 30kgs of bitter gourd and 45kgs of snake gourd were produced. Earlier, we were ignorant about how to grow vegetables. The institution (PVCHR) helps us utilize a vacant plot near our house, provides us with knowledge about how to grow vegetables, about proper drainage and sunlight to the plants, before sowing the seeds. We are also taught how to take care of seedlings with manure and watering. I am 5 months pregnant and I feel these vegetables are healthy and tasty as well,” she said.
Phoolchand Musahar from Sanjhoi often doesn’t feel well. His wife and daughter work on other’s lands. His son works as a mud carrier. Phoollchand says, “Ever since I was born, I’ve never sown any seeds in my whole life and never felt it will grow. Now I feel so good after growing our own vegetables. We are saving money by not having to buy vegetables. My children advised me to sell the vegetables in the market, but I refused and give them instead to my neighbours who are in need. We share a lot of vegetables with our families and friends. We have kept some seeds of sponge gourd and will plant more.”
People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) with the support of the New Zealand High Commission, organized a meeting with the marginalized people and encouraged them to utilize the vacant places near their house. They were informed about the importance and process of kitchen gardening. In many households, there is a lack of nutritional food and pollution, people suffer from different diseases. In such cases, kitchen gardening can help create a fresh environment besides providing the people with essential micronutrients. After a discussion with the community on kitchen gardening, the people drew up a list of vegetables to be grown based on taste and interest.
Before sowing the seeds, people must know about the process. PVCHR informed them that they should start with a small patch near their house, and clean the soil before starting. They were told how they must ensure proper arrangement of drainage and sufficient sunlight to the plants before sowing seeds and plantation of saplings.
After sowing the seeds, it is very important to care for and protect the saplings. The residents were told to secure the area with a bamboo fence or brick wall so that animals, birds and children couldn’t damage the saplings. Likewise, the PVCHR also provided them with information on how to take care of the land, the requirement of water, manure and weeding.
Finally, it was time for the land to yield vegetables. Starting in July and ending in December, hundreds of kilograms of different types of vegetables were produced. Some of the vegetables were sold in the market and also shared with neighbours. The PVCHR team regularly follows up with the community.
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