Rohan Mathews & Vasundhara Jairath

On 9th April 2009, the town of Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh witnessed an unprecedented gathering of hundreds of people from across the state affected by dams, mining, urbanization and destructive development projects. (more…)

A note from the ICR team

Smitu was, for us, a scholar, activist, teacher, friend and colleague, all rolled into one. He was one of those people whom you couldn’t but love and admire. Spirited, full of life, hope and optimism, he inspired young and old. His soaring intellect combined with a lovable personality, always smiling, humming a Beatles number, made him one of the most wonderful persons to work with. He respected each of us for what we were and with his humility and utmost warmth and affection, created an atmosphere few organizations had – of freedom, creativity, openness, positive energy and one that was intellectually stimulating. His sudden loss has been most traumatic and in these trying times, while his loss is irreplaceable, it is his spirit that gives us the strength to carry on what he started and we can only hope we do justice to his vision.

Onwards,
ICR Team

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A site set up to let people share their thoughts, memories, photos, videos, or anything they would like to share about Smitu Kothari:
http://celebrating-smitu.org

Rohan has a B.A. in English Literature from Delhi University. He has been at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai for the past two years, being part of what he would like to call an ‘extraordinary learning experience’. Rohan was an intern with Intercultural Resources in April 2008, where he contributed to the Social Movements Calendar. In 2006, he spent some time in Southern Rajasthan, studying the Right to Information Movement as a part of a National Foundation for India Internship. (more…)

(WSF Report on a Discussion presented by Smitu Kothari in Nepal on February 27, 2009)

Background
The first World Social Forum was held in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2001. Since then, the WSF has been an yearly event, varying in format and location. In 2004 it took place in Mumbai, for the first time out of Brazil. After being back in Porto Alegre in 2005, in 2006 a polycentric WSF was held, spanning 3 continents (Bamako, Caracas and Karachi). 2007 was the year of the controversial WSF in Nairobi, Kenya, where many felt that large corporate NGOs dominated the event. This was followed by the WSF Global day of Action in 2008. The 9th World Social Forum was held this year in the Amazonian city of Belem, Brazil from January 27 to February 1, 2009, which saw participation of many friends from India as well. (more…)

SMITU KOTHARI & BENNY KURUVILLA

Interview with Egyptian economist Samir Amin.

Samir Amin: “It was the financial corporations that asked the governments to step in and ‘nationalise’ them. The rescue package was drafted by them, and they are in control of most of the bailout money.” (more…)

By Mario Osava*

RIO DE JANEIRO, August 9, 2008 (Tierramérica) - The combined impacts of numerous small hydroelectric dams in one river basin can be at least as harmful as one large dam, warn experts, environmental activists and indigenous groups, who face a flood of new projects along the rivers of the western Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. (more…)

It is now 21 months since Dr Binayak Sen, the well-known public health and human rights activist was imprisoned by the Chhattisgarh government on false charges of abetting activities of an outlawed organisation. (more…)

Narmada Bachao Andolan, 16th June 2007

Dear friends,

Today is the 13th day of the indefinite dharna at Khandwa of the people of the Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar dams on the Narmada river. It is also the 11th day of the indefinite fast of five representatives of the struggle who have been on fast since the 6th of June 2007. (more…)

joint press statement, March 16, 2007

Today, representatives of 8 Bhopal based organizations burnt effigy of Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Chief Minister of West Bengal at Roshanpura Crossing in protest of police firing in Nandigram. The genocide perpetrated by the CPI(M)-led Left Front government and the West Bengal police on hapless villagers, share-croppers and peasants of Nandigram in the name of “bridge building” and “maintenance repairs” is strongly condemned by us and goes on to show the new low that the official Leftists of West Bengal has plunged into. (more…)

Press Note, Himalaya Niti Abhiyan (11 April, 2009)

After two days of intense discussions and deliberations on issues thrown up by the people’s movements resisting and struggling with impacts of the projects promoted under the current economic policies of the government - the Himalaya Niti Abhiyan evolved a detailed charter of demands for political parties and the government. The charter had specific demands for each of the project affected groups as well as a list of common demands to protect the interests of displaced, affected communities and the Himalayan Environment. (more…)

Press Note, Himalaya Niti Abhiyan (10 April, 2009)

A day after the Himalaya Bachao Rally, representatives of movements of project affected communities from across the state, deliberated on the current model of neo-liberal development and its impacts on the people of the state. (more…)

Press Note, Himalaya Niti Abhiyan (09 April, 2009)

More than 3000 people affected by dams, mines, urbanization and destructive development projects in the state of Himachal Pradesh came under one banner of the Himalaya Niti Abhiyan and held a historical rally in the streets of Bilaspur shouting slogans of “Aaj Himalaya Jagega – Loootne wala bhagega” and “Vikas chahiye vinash nahin”. (more…)

6 March 2009, 3.30 pm

The Other Media and Intercultural Resources cordially invite you for a discussion on the Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and the book release of “Recovering the Lost Tongue”, written by Rahul Banerjee, an activist who has worked with adivasis in western MP for the past two decades. Prof. Manoranjan Mohanty will release the book. (more…)

Speaker: Com. Siritunga Jayasuriya, Gen. Sec., United Socialist Party, Sri Lanka
Date: 19th February 2009, Thursday
Time: 3:00 – 4.30 pm
Venue: Press Club of India; 1, Raisina Road, New Delhi (more…)

As you are aware, members of Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) in Sikkim have been at the forefront of a remarkable struggle for justice and democratic governance. Their historic actions have led to the cancellation of four destructive dam projects . (more…)

Gangtok (PTI), April 16, 2009: At least 12 labourers were washed away when an under-contruction dam collapsed near Rongli in East Sikkim, police said on Friday. (more…)

AFFECTED CITIZENS OF TEESTA
MANGAN, NORTH SIKKIM

Mangan, North Sikkim dated 8th February 2009

Affected Citizens of Teesta has viewed with serious concern the arbitrary arrests of forty three innocent Lepchas, including eight young girls, who were picked up from their residences in Lingdong, Passingdang and other villages of Dzongu on 7th February 2009. (more…)

Yesterday evening, the 7th of February 2009, Sikkim police arrested 43 protestors including, 7 women and two juveniles of the Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) who were protesting against the construction activities of the Panan (300 MW) Hydropower Project on the Rangyang river, a tributary of Teesta, in the protected Dzongu Reserve of the Lepchas.in he north district of Sikkim. (more…)

Newmai News Network

Shillong, July 20, 2008: The National Afforestation and Eco-development Board (NAEB) has given special attention to the regeneration of degraded forest areas, national parks, sanctuaries and other protected areas as well as ecologically fragile areas in the country during the year 2007-08, sources said. (more…)

New Delhi, June 23, 2008: India’s Northeast, considered to be one of the richest biodiversity hot spots in the country, is fast losing its forest cover, according to data released Thursday by Aaranyak, an Assam-based NGO. (more…)

Raju Das

Shillong, May 15, 2008: The feasibility of setting up the country’s 18th nuclear reactor in Meghalaya is being studied by a technical study group of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). (more…)

Lalit Sethi, NPA, Central Chronicle, January 9, 2008

The World Bank has gone back to its old tricks: running down India, running down Asia, running down what is not blue eyes and white skin even if a friend of America, but quite unable to deliver on speedy entry of First World countries and deep penetration of their economies. (more…)

Statesman News Service

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 4, 2007: “The market potential of carbon finance is tremendous but the public sector, particularly the financial institutions and the government need to recognise it and get involved in a bit way,” said Mr Michel Pommier, the regional Carbon Finance Coordinator of the World Bank. (more…)

Editorial, Times of India, Sept 05, 2007

It has become the norm for the US and Europe to hold on to top jobs of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), respectively, in defiance of structural changes in the world economy over the last three decades. Russia has opposed the candidature of former French finance minister Dominique Strauss Kahn by backing former Czech Prime Minister Josef Tosovsky, but Strauss Kahn is almost sure to become IMF managing director. (more…)

Mumbai, February 15, 2007: No wonder it was not in the news that Fiat is joining hands with Tatas over a cheap car project. Flashlights hog the attention on the fecilitation of Italy’s PM at Kolkota University. (more…)

Soutik Biswas | BBC News

New Delhi, December 20, 2006: A Nobel-prize winning US economist has warned that public services could suffer in countries like India as a result of globalisation. Professor Joseph Stiglitz told the BBC News website that globalisation had led to lower tariffs, an important source of public revenue. (more…)

Indrajit Basu | United Press International

Calcutta, March 12, 2004: It’s good for the economy; it creates employment, lots of it, and working nights at India’s back offices is pleasing and financially rewarding for a huge number of young Indians. (more…)