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NAYI DISHAYEIN
Winter School on Rethinking Development
…a place to think critically, unlearn, dialogue, explore and evolve pathways towards a just society
Background
Inequality is deeply entrenched in the social and economic fabric our country today and the gaps are widening at an alarming rate. In 2017 1% of the population held 58% of the country’s total wealth, which was higher than the global figure of about 50% and today the top 1% of the population now holds 73% of the wealth. So last year alone, one billionaire was created every two days in a country like India. We understand this phenomenon as ‘growth’ and in the words of the State, political parties, and now the common people of this country as ‘development’. We see this modern development as a panacea to the poverty and marginalisation in our society. We see it as a natural progression which necessarily would be followed by or accompanied with a more aware and ‘educated’ society, free of divisions and inequality. But the condition of society across the world today, wrought with conflict, discrimination and exploitation, indicates that assumption needs to be urgently questioned.
About the Winter School: Sambhaavnaa Institute, has for the last six years been organising a participatory, reflective and experiential programs on ‘Rethinking Development’ called Nayi Dishayein. In this program we work with young participants to:
- Deconstruct, i.e., critically examine the notion of development
- Examine the root causes of growing inequity in distribution of wealth and resources and it’s impacts on nature and humans in a society fractured along the lines of gender, caste, race, ethnicity, religion?
- Re-examine our belief systems, worldviews, privileges resulting from the power structures of caste, gender, religion, class and how they are linked with the notion of development
- Examine how the state and its institutions of policy making and governance influence these power structures and vice versa
- Assess possibilities of transformation through people’s action. An exposure to and dialogue on a range of initiatives/movements towards a just society.
The theme of the program is explored using interactive lectures, group work and group discussions, film screenings, collective reflection, and importantly, live experience sharing by activists.
Who is the program for? : If you are in the age group of 21-26 years and seeking answers to the above questions; or you are just figuring out how to frame the questions; or trying to understand the interconnections between different problems that you see around you…then join us for an intense collective churn on these issues – to open up nayi dishayein in both your thinking and living…
Language: Primarily in English, and some Hindi.
Program Contribution: Rs. 7500. This includes all program costs including food and stay expenses at Sambhaavnaa Institute.
Do not let money be an impediment to your applying. Need based fee waivers are available. We have a limited number of scholarships so please apply for a fee waiver if you really need it. Do remember that there may be others who need it more than you
Rolling admission deadlines accept applications until the programs fill up. However, there is a chance of losing your spot if the program fills up, so it’s best not to wait too long.
Please see the below video where participants are sharing their experiences from a previous program:
Venue : Sambhaavnaa Institute, Village: Kandbari, Tehsil: Palampur, District: Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, PIN 176061
For more information and questions: Email: nayi_dishayein@sambhaavnaa.org. Please only call between 2 and 5 PM if there is something urgent/important you need to discuss on 86 79 32 56 26
Dates: 21st December 10:00 AM to 30th December 5:00 PM, 2018
How to apply:
Please complete one from amongst the three FIELD EXERCISES below and then fill the application form. The field exercise is compulsory for your application to be considered. Please note that we will not be assessing the exercise on language, grammar or presentation. We are just interested in your reflection (presented in any form you like) after actually having done the field exercise!
Exercise 1: Locate one person in your neighbourhood who is an ‘unorganised sector’ worker, and speak about his/her life, the nature of his/her work, wages, family, who else earns in their family, the conditions their family lives in, etc. Find out his/her social background in terms of caste, region, class. What is your reflection on their life and working conditions and if and/or how it could be changed? Share your reflections and observations in not more than 500 words.
OR
Exercise 2: Follow the garbage trail from your place of residence, to the final place that it rests. Locate one person in the life-cycle who manages your garbage, and speak to them about the nature of their work, their wages, their family and who else earns in their family, the conditions their family lives in etc. Provide a description of the garbage trail, and any insights you obtained from it. Also write about the garbage worker as well as your reflection on his/her life and working conditions and if and/or how it could be changed? The write-up should not exceed 500 words.
OR
Exercise 3: Visit a government school in your neighbourhood. Interview some students about their experience at school and get their views on the education system. Observe the working conditions, the general infrastructure, and the general atmosphere in the school. Do a comparison with the kind of school you attended. What do you think ails ‘education’ today and what could be done to change things around? Share your reflections and observations in not more than 500 words.
Please fill the Application Form below: