Udaipur Peace Centre activities for the month of May 2016

Date:  10/05/2016

Time: 7:00 to 10:00pm

Location:  Katara Khetra

Name of the Event/Activity: Community Film Screening at Katara Khetra

Type of Activity: Community Film Screening

Brief Description: Highlights of the activity:  Peace centre has planned to organize a community film screening at the village Katara-Khetra. Katara- Khetra is a new area where Peace centre has recently began working with the community and the youth.

 We have organized screening of a Bollywood feature film called “Gulabi Gang” which was also screened earlier in Bambala and Ghati peace centre. Vaishali Singh and Subham Singh (two interns) have facilitated the event along with the peace centre team. Vaishali introduced the objectives and work of the peace centre and began the film with a brief introduction at 7pm which ended at 10pm. Later we had begun discussions on the film and also talked about the tribal rights and proper implementation of government schemes in the rural areas. Vaishali said to all women participants that they can participate in the process of making a change in the community along with the men. She also motivated them by saying that they have equal rights and opportunities in the community. She illustrated herself as someone who belongs to a family who do not allow women to go out alone but she broke this norm of her family by coming to this rural internship, alone, miles away from home. She mentioned that we have to step ahead to empower women by breaking those rules of the society that undermine the role of women. Jivli bai has appreciated Vaishali’s initiative and suggested that other girls be like her.

Theme: Women Empowerment

Rationale:  To throw light upon the harsh realities of our patriarchal society and also emphasize upon the need to empower women.

Resource Person/s: Vaishali Singh and Subham Singh.

Date: 29/05/2016

Time: 6:00 to 10:00 PM

Location: Bambala

Name of the Event/Activity: Community Film Screening.

Type of Activity: Community film Screening

Brief Description: Highlights of the activity:  Peace centre Bambala has organised a community film screening of a Bollywood film “Bhag Milkha Bhag” on the eve of May 29. Shubam singh (An intern of ALFA) had facilitated the whole event with the participation of peace centre members.
The main objective of screening this film was to make the youth and their families understand their respective roles in the society. Also, to emphasize the need for the youth to take part in sports. Nearly 32 people including the youth and adults have participated in the event. Discussion were raised on the participation of the tribal youth in sports related activities and their active role in social and political interventions in the community. Chandu Ahari (Father of an active youth Subhash Ahari) like many others, appreciated the work of peace centre and encouraged the participants there to take an active part in various other programmes led by the peace centre. Subham singh added that young people of the village have to take an initiative to make the most out of any opportunity provided to them. He also encouraged them to work for the betterment of the community. Afterwards discussions continued on the young people’s participation in the local Panchayat regarding the implementation of government schemes and ensuring peace in the community.

Theme: Youth development

Rationale: To ensure the participation of youth on social and political issues and motivate them to engage in sports.ss

Resource Person/s: Subham Singh

Date: 22/05/2016

Time: 11:00AM to 4:00PM

Location: Padela (Karawara Panchayat)

Name of Event/Activity: Pehchan Karyakrma

Type of Activity: Cultural Exchange program.

Brief Description: Highlights of the activity:   Peace centre, Karawara organised an event in an attempt to understand the culture and the lives of the tribal. About twelve young and  enthusiastic volunteers of the peace centre had visited the tribal area of Karawara Panchayat called Padela. Mr.Manna lal (a Local resident of Padela) had introduced the tribal culture and history of the Parmar dynasty of Rajasthan. He also conferred about the life style of the Tribals, such as their dependency on the usage of the natural resources of the forest for survival. Mr.Ashok Patel had raised a question on the culture of overconsumption of Alcohol amongst the Tribals and how it created a negative impression about them.  Manna lal replied by saying that in the past people preferred to take local alcoholic drinks after long, tiring days in an attempt to relieve their stress also on special occasions to celebrate. This still happens to be the case, though it is a stereotype that Tribal men drink on a regular basis. And generally misbehave after a couple of drinks, that certainly is not the truth. Afterwards all the young participants cooked food together with the family of Mr.Manna Lal on the wooden oven and had lunch together. Later they visited the forest and discussed about the land rights and MNREGA work done there. They also talked about the involvement of the tribals in the independence movement.

Theme: Cultural exchange Program

Rationale: To bridge the long standing gap between the Muslims and the Tribals.
Resource Person/s: Lokesh Kalal, Kais Bar and Manna lal

Date: 15/05/2016

Time: 12:00 to 3:00 pm          

Location: Ghati

Name of Event/Activity: Youth ADDA

Type of Activity: Youth friendship program

Brief Description: Highlights of the activity:  Peace centre, Ghati had organised Youth Adda on the theme of Tribal identity and history of the Pal Chitariya genocide at the Ghati Peace centre.

 Mr.Lokesh Kalal and Mr.Naresh Kumar Bodat had facilitated the program and spoke about the history of Pal Chitariya genocide cause by the British Imperialists. Pal Chitariya is an area situated at the border of Rajasthan and Gujarat border. Mr.Lokesh said how sad it is to learn the fact that the Jallian wala bagh massacre was known to all, and the pal Chitariya genocide was confined to only a few. The Pal Chitariya genocide was first ignored and then forgotten. Even though there were 1200 casualties, all tribals. The source was the same as the Jallian Wala Bagh massacre; “The British”
Still, ther5e appears to be no mention at all about the Pal Chitariya incident. Not even in the History books of Rajasthan, which is quite disturbing.

The youth were both shocked and upset. Shocked because they had never heard about this incident. And upset because they came to realise how naïve and ignorant they are.

Later the Young peoples and Lokesh discussed about the recent issues of tribal people and the individual’s role in making a change.

Theme:  Tribal Identity.

Rationale: To honour the Tribal Martyrs who lost their lives in the Pal Chitariya genocide of Rajasthan.

Resource Person/s: Lokesh kalal and Naresh Kumar