cafe mohalla invite

another rocking afternoon with PJI friends on 11 Sep 2010 at 02.30 pm .....

Bandh Doesn’t Work!!

Today, opposition parties of India have declared bandh to protest against price hike. Offices,shops and markets are forced to close down. Political workers have stopped all kinds of transportations. Daily wagers and laborers are loosing their earnings for today. Patients and people who are ill are finding extremely difficult to reach to hospitals or dispensaries. Petrol pumps are closed. Many people are dragging their vehicles.... and political parties claim that they are doing all these for common people!!

Here, let me clarify that i am strongly against the price hike. I condemn and protest the price hike in my strongest words. It affects life of common people very badly and it’s important to find a solution as soon as possible. But at the same time, Bandh is not a solution at all, as it also affects common people badly. All those who earn their bread and butter on daily basis have to suffer in the end. We must protest the price hike but not at the cost of bread and butter of poor people. We must protest and involve as many people as possible against the price hike but not forcefully. All those who have decided to declare a bandh, do not care about those poor people at all. I am saying this because there are few questions in my mind. Why have they called for bandh instead doing direct protest against the current government in the parliament it self? Why don't the leaders of all opposition parties do Satyagrah and decide to go on hunger protest until government reduces the price? Where are all those big leaders of opposition parties during this Bandh? Sitting in government quarters and enjoying rain? Why these big leaders of opposition are come on road and join the protest? Why don't these big political leaders go and protest against Prime Minister and Finance Minister in front of their houses and not on roads? Are they scared of getting arrested?

I saw a story on a news channel in which they compared this Bandh with emergency of 1975. But during that emergency many big leaders went to jail for many months. Why our leaders are so scared of getting arrested? If all politicians are so concerned about common people, why don't they stop using government cars...at least for a day in one week? I believe that none of these politicians whether they are in power or in opposition do not care at all about people of this country. These politicians have no time to discuss the issue of BPL rather they disscuss IPL in parliament!! Opposition leaders are doing this Bandh just to make their presence felt and highlight their parties in people's mind. That’s it!

This one day bandh (even if opposition declares more bandhs in future) will not make any difference to government's decision to increase price. But these bandhs will surly make lot of difference to poor and common people in negative way. Political parties will gain publicity, talk shows will be organized on news channels, rich people will enjoy the day off from work and poor people will say 'koi fark nahi padne wala..sab log apni roti sekte hai...hamara kya?'

All of us who are concern about the price hike must protest and try to make difference...but we must protest creatively without affecting other people. We should not only protest against price hike but also these Bandhs! I am not a politician, nor a bureaucrat. I am a common man and do not understand this political games. I do not have any hardcore solutions but i strongly believe that This Bandh Doesn't Work!

By the time I finished this article, few national leaders got arrested. I would still say that 'big' leaders are just sitting and doing nothing meaningful for people. (By Gaurang Rawal)

Ojasi Mehta Sharing her experience of comics workshop in Banswara

Ojasi Mehta ,a volunteer of PJI had a comics workshop in Banswara. This is her experience of this workshop in her own words.....

Who can tell what is truth and what futility ?

Who can tell which dream will turn into reality?

When I was attending the Capacity Building Workshop conducted by Pravah Jaipur Initiative in collaboration with other organizations in Jaipur , far in my mind, a dream was shaping that I will conduct a workshop in my hometown too. I learnt comics though I wanted to learn film-making first but I chose comics because I knew I can spread this art easily than film-making. And I am glad that I could do it. And I could do it only when first I thought – I can do it.

I had to face many challenges but as always I am so lucky and things turned into my favor. The workshop was organized by Bharat Vikas Parishad , Pravah Jaipur Initiative & World Comics India. I got so much help from Bharat Vikas Parishad and I represented other two organizations as a volunteer. My only biggest challenge was that I was alone as an instructor or trainer and I knew making Comics is a no joke. We elders could only do it in two days with the help of two elder trainers and I had so many small kids , all were below 8^th class but as they say , “jahaan chaah hai wahaan raah hai” I did my best. My one friend came ahead to help me . Nishita is pursuing BVA(visual arts) from ICG college, Jaipur. Fortunately , she had also attended a one day Workshop on Comics in her college so she was equally supporting me.

Other challenge was collecting kids and managing them . I wanted to conduct this workshop for the students above 8^th class but as usual at my end children are very shy & egoistic . They think they know everything and need not to learn anything new. Well , on the contrary , the small kids were so enthusiastic and eager to learn that I couldn’t hold the boundaries which I made any longer. First day , I had hardly five kids but last day I had almost 20-22 kids . The reason , simply was that children were enjoying themselves and through mouth publicity they grew into a good numbers. They were learning something new which they liked. They were busy , doing something productive and creative. And above all , their parents were encouraging them a lot , after all now children were not watching tv , wasting their time and irritating their parents.

Last day had become very memorable for me as I got many wishes as well as many amazing feedbacks , which I had hardly expected. A small kid , Parv Vyas who is in 3^rd std , though couldn’t complete his comics but he made comics in his drawing book which was on “water conservation”. He gave message that – “we should not bath in shower and waste water”. That amazing kid himself used to bath in shower but when he made that comics , he told his mother that – “I wont bath in shower and in bath tub because I myself made comics on that, we should not waste water”. His mother told me on last day that I was trying to teach him this from last two months but he wouldn’t listen to me , now your comics workshop has done what I couldn’t. This was a Big Compliment for me. I got success. I told her that if such small child can understand what I wanted to convey then I think I have done my job.

The response was beyond expectations. I knew Banswara is not a developed city , but it is an intellectual city. People are ahead in taking initiatives and they engage themselves in many social activities. Many people came to meet me during workshop , to understand the concept and wish me luck. My principle , Saroj Nagawat ma’am asked me to organize a workshop in my school , which is a thing to proud on. Parv’s mother , who is also a teacher asked me to add Theatre also next time , as she says , many people are interested in learning new things.

Earlier I had planned to take registration fees but then I discarded that thought and took no fees from anyone and so couldn’t provide much things and gifts to kids. But the response and enthusiasm of visitors and well wishers was so amazing that Last Day , Saroj ma’am gifted drawing books to children and Kothari aunty gave them pencils and other stuff . My parents financed the whole workshop. Whole in whole , the workshop was beyond expectations… & my experience…. Ah! I am short of words now .....

cafe mohalla on picnic

CAFE MOHALLA ON PICNIC!

We will meet on Sunday 15th August in Pravah Office at 8.30 am. And will then go out for a picnic. Request all of you to be on time.

Event is open for all, bring your friends, family, near and dear!

Just guess where we are going! The one that has the first right guess, will win a nice price..

Hints for the place are as below:

1. Hills

2. Water

3. Religious shrine

4. FUN!!

hey Buddies.. we will be there by 3 so bring enough food or snacks....