Fwd: [initiative-india] INVITATION : NAPM's Eighth Biannual Convention OCTOBER 24-26, 2010, Badwani, Madhya pradesh

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From: NAPM INDIA <napmindia@napm-india.org>
Date: Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 1:28 AM
Subject: [initiative-india] INVITATION : NAPM's Eighth Biannual Convention OCTOBER 24-26, 2010, Badwani, Madhya pradesh
To: napm-india <NAPM-India@googlegroups.com>, initiativeindia Groups <initiative-india@googlegroups.com>

National Alliance of People's Movements

Eighth Biannual Convention

OCTOBER 24-26, 2010, Badwani, Madhya pradesh

an invitation : all are invited !

TOWARDS PEACE, JUSTICE AND DEMOCRACY ...

National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) is pleased to invite you to its Eighth Biannual Convention to be held in the Narmada Valley, at Badwani, Madhya Pradesh, from October 24^th-26th. Narmada Bachao Andolan, which is entering in 25^th year of struggle, and is one of the founding members of NAPM will be hosting us this time. The journey that started in 1992 and took the shape of NAPM in 1996 has today reached a critical stage.

We started when the processes of Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation were beginning to take shape, Hindu Right was picking steam in the shadow of Babri Masjid demolition and TINA – There is No Alternative, was propounded as the mantra for the time. Since then we have come a long way and have waged important struggles along with many other movements, voluntary organisations, federations and forums, sympathetic intellectuals, artists, students and others against WTO, World Bank, Enron, SEZs, big dams, rural and urban evictions and displacements, atrocities against women, adivasis, and Dalits and communalism. In 2003 we undertook Desh Bachao Desh Banao (Save the Nation – Build the Nation), a nation-wide campaign, aimed at evolving a national movement, to bring the ideal of an alternative world into reality, as a collective peoples political force, seeking to challenge and transform the existing political system that promotes a development paradigm that is anti-poor and anti-development. In 2007, Sangharsh / Action process was launched involving many other alliances, forums and federations which was another step in the direction of achieving a better world.

A decade after we met in the Narmada Valley, we are meeting again at a time, which is the 'best of the times and worst of the times'. The process of neo-liberalism which started then has now started showing its true colours, Corporations, Public and Private both, are not only grabbing the resources but the political space and even power through market and related mechanism. The investors – national to multinational have "privatized" each and every dimension of our society, polity and economy. Transformation is today a much greater challenge to the imagination, because Global Warming and the Energy crisis are much more visible too. The State has become a mere mediator and given away the mask of welfare and benevolence, political class and a more articulate middle class has been completely sold to the ideology of market and neo-liberal models of economy and growth. We are witness to increased informalisation of labour as a result, 96% of workers today are in the unorganised sectors of work and there is enormously rising polarisation between the rich and the poor and a steep rise in food prices, together with loss of food security and attack on agriculture. The political class rarely resolves the people's issues but rather exploits those towards vote banking, more crudely now than ever. Public space, public interest, public domain and priorities are shrinking to the detriment of basic need fulfillment jeopardizing not only the present but also the future. However, we cannot also forget that there is this growing trend towards "war on terror", militarisation and violence unleashed by the State making non-violent mass struggles more difficult, but at the same time making them more relevant too.

These times are not that bleak either, our collective efforts have not only led to enactment of progressive legislations like Right to Information Act, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Forest Rights Act etc. but also created a situation where people on the ground have challenged every single attempt at grabbing of our land, water, forests, minerals etc. We are standing amidst the victory of people's movements at Singur, Nandigram, Niyamgiri, Sompeta, Karla, Chengara and many more such places of resistance. The question of justice and equity have come to the fore like never before and the 'rights to and control over natural resources' become the focal point of contestation today amidst, people, state and corporations. NAPM is not the only alliance today and there is a large biradari (family) beyond our fold all engaged in struggles and reconstruction through alternatives, committed to challenge the corporatization and globalization in the face of corruption, criminal acts and callousness of both the State and the corporates. We have always strived to create spaces for dialogue and coordination between them and also provide adequate space to diversity of resistances and ideologies existing in the country.

On a more positive note it can also be considered our collective victory that today social activists and human rights activists have become threats to the State and to their corporate designs, so much so, that they are falsely framing them as 'Maoists' or 'Terrorists'. The bogey of communalism has seeped through the veins of society and governance in numerous ways and demands a different understanding and strategy to fight them. The armed conflicts imposed upon us by the state and counter violence by non-state and private vigilante forces are also creating a situation which is threatening the lives and livelihood of the millions of those living at the margins of this development process. Together the forces of communalism, corporatisation, and veiled casteism and patriarchy are not only threatening the framework of democratic society but has become an impediment to our collective efforts towards building a truly people's democracy unlike the existent bourgeois democracy.

The coming decade will see the fierce battles and struggles for asserting rights and control over land, water, forests, minerals and thereby making it more difficult to ensure justice to dalits, adivasis, women, minorities, workers, landless peasantry and others who are considered 'out-castes of the development'. We continue to defy the principle of 'eminent domain' of State and challenge its power even when it has merely become a negotiator for the corporations and appropriate military strength to protect their capitalist interest. Whether it is land acquisition, displacement or rehabilitation- most issues today are politicized and polarized yet there is an urgent need for movements and supporters to evolve consensus on development planning to ensure equity and justice, through peace and democracy…hence the alliance !

It is in these turbulent times that NAPM invites you to its eighth biannual convention in an earnest attempt of coming together by various people's movements and organizations to build a strong alliance of movements. The Convention aims to be a space where we can collectively discuss and debate on different issues, movements and civil society responses and work towards the challenge of initiating and strengthening a new political force with innovative strategies, with people's power and people's politics. For this and much more your presence and contribution is crucial. Do join us at the Convention!

Tentative programme, details to follow :

• October 24 : Inaugural Sessions | Thematic Sessions | Cultural Programmes

• October 25 : Thematic Sessions

• October 26 : Elections of Conveners Teams | Resolutions

Directions to the venue and contact persons are given below. Please do not hesitate in contacting us for any further information or clarification. As always you are welcome to come and spend more time with us, work with us, volunteers with us, support us with resources, or just travel with us in this journey...

The Conventions will be preceded by programmes marking 25 years of struggle in the Narmada Valley by Narmada Bachao Andolan. The inaugural programme will be held at Dhadgaon, Maharashtra on 22^nd October and concluding programme will be held at Badwani, MP on October 23^rd 2010. Separate invite has been sent for the same. For details write to nba.badwani@gmail.com | 25yearsofnba@gmail.com | 07290-222464 | 09423944390 | 09423965152 | 09420375730 | 02595-220620

Do inform us of your arrival, so that we can make adequate arrangements … You can reach us by phone or write to us on napmindia@napm-india.org | madhuresh@napm-india.org | www.napm-india.org

In Solidarity,

NAPM Conveners Team ...

Delhi Office :

C/O 6/6, Jangpura B, New Delhi 110014. Phone : 011 – 2437 4535 | 9818905316 | 9868200316

National Office :

Room No. 29-30, 1st floor, 'A' Wing, Haji Habib Bldg, Naigaon Cross Road, Dadar (E), Mumbai - 400 014; Phone : 022-24150529 | 9969363065

Contact in Badwani :

Narmada Bachao Andolan, 62, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Badwani, Madhya Pradesh – 451551 Ph: 07290-222464; Fax: 07290-222549. nba.badwani@gmail.com

Other Contacts :

Assam, Akhil Gogoi / Arupjyoti Saikia 9435054140 | 9435557483

Andhra Pradesh, Ramakrishnan Raju : 9866887299

Bihar, Ashish Ranjan : 9973363664

Chattisgarh, Gautam Bandopadhyay 9826171304

Delhi, Rajendra Ravi | Madhuresh : 9868200316 | 9818905316

Gujarat, Anand Mazgaonkar / Swati Desai : 02640 220629 | 9429556163

Karnataka, Sister Celia : 9945716052

Kerala, Geo Jose / Hussain Master : 9446000701/ 9445375379

Madhya Pradesh, Shrikanth : 07290-222464 | 9179148973

Maharashtra, Suniti S R / Simpreet Singh : 09423571784 / 9969363065

Orissa, Prafulla Samantara : 9437259005

Tamilnadu, Gabriele Dietrich : 09442511292

Uttar Pradesh, Sandeep Pandey / Arundhati Dhuru : 05222347365 | 9415022772

West Bengal, Debjit Dutta : 9433602808

*************************

Directions to Reach Badwani

Badwani is the district headquarters in Madhya Pradesh and is at a distance of 4-6 hours by bus / taxis from Khandwa or Indore (MP), Baroda (Gujarat). There are regular buses from Indore from morning till evening from the main bus stand, one bus in evening at 9 pm from Bhopal new bus stand, from Khandwa buses till 4 pm and from Baroda till 2 pm in the afternoon.

From Mumbai / Pune:

1. Mumbai and Pune is well connected with Indore by bus. Almost all of them are overnight buses. For timings/bookings:

1. http://www.holidayiq.com

2. http://www.prasannatours.com

3. http://www.makemytrip.com

4. http://www.redbus.in

If you are traveling at a reasonable time of the day then don't go all the way to Indore but get off at Julwania and take a bus or taxi to Badwani.

2. Mumbai-Indore is also connected by train:

   1. 2961 Avantika Exp: Mumbai (1905)-Indore (0920)

3. Pune-Indore is connected by train as well:

   1. 9311 Pune Indore exp (Tu, F, Sa): Pune (1530)-Indore (0950)

From Indore, take a bus to Badwani (5 hours)

From Chennai/ Hyderabad:

Reach Bhopal by any train. Take bus / shared taxi to Indore (4 hours) and change for Badwani from Indore.

From Bangalore/Kerala:

Reach Khandwa by train and take a bus from there to Badwani (4 horus)

1. 2627 Karnataka Exp. Bangalore (1920)- Khandwa (1935)

2. 2617 Mangla Exp: Ernakulam (1300)-Manmad (2240)

From West Bengal:

1. There is one direct train to Indore from Howrah

   1. 9306 Shipra Exp (M,Th,Sa): Howrah (1740) Indore (0330)

2. Can get down Jalgaon (on Howrah-Mumbai route) and change for Khandwa and from there, take a bus to Badwani (4 hours)

From Delhi:

There are direct trains from Delhi-Indore.

1. 2416 Nizamuddin Indore Exp: Nizamuddin (2215)-Indore (1140)

2. 2920 Malwa Exp: New Delhi (1900) Indore (1240)

Indore to Badwani by bus (4 hours)

--
National Alliance of People's Movements

Delhi Office : C/O 6/6, Jangpura B, New Delhi 110014 India. Phone / Fx : +911124374535 | 9818905316

National Office : Room No. 29-30, 1st floor, 'A' Wing, Haji Habib Bldg, Naigaon Cross Road, Dadar (E), Mumbai - 400 014; Ph: 022-24150529

Email : napmindia@napm-india.org | napmindia@gmail.com 

Web : www.napm-india.org 

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