Nearly sixty papers were presented in four plenary sessions, 14 parallel sessions and three special sessions. The highlights of the seminar included the inaugural session chaired by Prof. Muchkund Dubey in which Shri N. N. Vohra gave the inaugural address. The address by the chief guest Medha Patkar from the Narmada Bachoa Andolan on ‘Satyagraha in Contemporary India’ emphasised the need for carrying on satyagraha to strengthen democratic rights of struggling people. The valedictory address, ‘Satyagraha, Life Sustainance on Earth’ was delivered by environmental activist and founder Navdanya, Vandana Shiva who painted a vivid picture of the environmental crisis that the humanity faced today and pointed out how many innovative initiatives were being taken to promote alternative lifestyles and sustainable production.
Key plenary speakers in the conference included Prof. Mark Jurgensmeyer, Prof. Beatriz Bissio, Prof. Ashs Nandy, Prof. John Clammer, Prof. Ramin Jahanbegloo, Prof. Vinay Lal and Prof. Neera Chandoke.
Special Panels on Satyagraha and Land and Forest Rights Movements, Education and Styagraha, ‘Discourse on Truth in Global Philosophical Traditions.’, Satyagraha in Ideas and Satyagraha in Action, Satyagraha , Travel and Translation, and Women and Peace Movements, attracted a lot of attention.
A special feature of the event was the two evening cultural programmes, one a dance performance by the famous Bharatanatyam artist, Gita Chandran on the theme of Satyagraha and Satyagraha in Verse, an evening of poetry by seven eminent poets—the latter jointly organised with the Raza Foundation.
As a part of the event some sessions were organised in Jamia Millia Islamia University, Kirori Mal College, Zakir Hussain College and Ram Lal Anand College where foreign and Indian scholars made presentations.
The seminar aimed at increasing an engagement and understanding of Satyagrha through an academic and research perspective. The programme combining presentations from delgates, and through extended plenary sessions, special sessions and working groups, was designed to address challenges in creating an equitable, sustainable and just world which still forms the core of satyagraha. Fruitful discussions, engaged dialogues and lively panel discussions followed the presentations contributing to various understandings and definitions of satyagraha. By disseminating shared experiences and organising cultural programmes that underscored social cohesion and inclusion the seminar sought to break new ground.
Social, Ethical and Spiritual Dimensions of the Global Pursuits of Truth
Jointly organised by
Council for Social Development, India International Centre, Interfaith Foundation of India, Raza Foundation, Asiatic Society, Department of Political Science, Jamia Milia Islamia, Kirorimal College, University of Delhi, Orfalea Centre for Global and International Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, REGGEN, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, University of South Africa, Institute of Social and Health Sciences, Sage Publications, Bandung Spirit Network
Venue India International Centre, New Delhi
Multipurpose Hall and Seminar Rooms-I, II and III, Kamladevi Complex
Oct 22-Oct 24, 2019
| 9.30 am | Registration | |
| 10.00 am – 11.15 am | Inaugural Session Venue Multipurpose Hall, Kamladevi Block | |
| Chair | Prof. Muchkund Dubey President, Council for Social Development | |
| Inauguration | Shri. N.N. Vohra President, India International Centre | |
| Chief Guest | Medha Patkar Narmada Bachao Andolan, National Alliance for People’s Movement | |
| On the Seminar Theme | Prof. Manoranjan Mohanty Vice-President, Council for Social Development | |
| Greetings from Collaborating Institutions | Prof. Mark Juergensmeyer Department of Global Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara Prof. Beatriz Bissio REGGEN, Federal University of Rio de Janerio Prof. Satyabrata Chakrabarti General Secretary, Asiatic Society of India Prof. M. M. Verma President, Interfaith Foundation of India Prof. Furqan Ahmad Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia Dr. Vibha Chauhan Principal, K.M. College, University of Delhi | |
| Vote of Thanks | Prof Ashok Pankaj Director, Council for Social Development | |
11.45 am – 1:15 pm | PLENARY SESSION Venue Multipurpose Hall, Kamladevi Block | |
| Co-Chairs | Dr. Beatriz Bissio Federal University of Rio De Janeiro | |
| Prof. Manoranjan Mohanty Vice-President, Council for Social Development | ||
| Speaker | Medha Patkar Narmada Bachao Andolan, National Alliance for People’s Movement Satyagraha in Contemporary India: Some Reflections | |
| Rapporteur | Dr. Dhananjay Rai | |
Lunch 13.15 pm – 2.15 pm
| 2:15 pm – 3:45 pm | Parallel Session I Seminar Room-I Gandhi’s Concept of Satyagraha | Parallel Session II Seminar Room-II Satyagraha Experiences | |
| Chair | Smt. Varsha Das Former Director, Gandhi National Museum, New Delhi | Dr. Savita Singh Former Director, Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, New Delhi | |
| Paper Presenters | Satyagraha and the Dilemma of Self-Realisation: Notes from Post-Independent India Prof. Samir Banerjee Former Fellow, Indian Institute of Advanced Studies | A Satyagrahi’s Language: Gandhi’s Politics and Poetics on Communication Prof. Asha Sarangi Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi | |
| A Conceptual History of Gandhi’s Satyagraha Dr. Nishikant Kolge Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi | Reminiscences of Mahatma’s Champaran Movement in Contemporary Socio-economic Crisis Dr. Bipul Kumar Centre for Non-Violence and Peace, A. N. Sinha Institute of Social Studies, Patna | ||
| Mapping Conflict in a Gandhian Paradigm: Exploring Satyagraha Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Department of Political Science, Zakir Husain Delhi College, University of Delhi | Gandhi, Satyagraha and the Struggle for Social Equality: The ” Untold” Stories of the Vaikom Satyagraha in Travancore, 1924-1925 Prof. Raj Sekhar Basu, Department of History, University of Calcutta | ||
| The Concept and Practice of Truth in Gandhi Dr. Rajesh Kumar Delhi College of Arts and Commerce | Chipko Movement: The Revival of Gandhian Techniques of Satyagraha and Non-Violence to Save Forests Dr. Milan Acharjya, Department of Political Science, Vidyasagar University, West Bengal | ||
| Rapporteur | Dr. Kamala Kant Raul | Ms. Srijita Majumder | |
| 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm | Parallel Session III Seminar Room-I Land and Forest Rights Movements and Satyagraha | Parallel Session IV Seminar Room-II Historicising Satyagraha | |
| Chair | Prof. Ramchandra Pradhan Institute of Gandhian Studies Sewagram, Wardha | Prof. Nisar ul Haq Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi | |
| Paper Presenters | Land Rights Movements Prof. K.B. Saxena Council for Social Development | Gandhi, Truth and History Mr. Sreejith Sugunan Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi | |
| Jan Satyagraha Samvad Yatra : Some reflections Shri. P.V. Rajagopal Ekta Parishad | Ideas on Sarvodya and the Mouman Ashram in Assam, Dr. Barnali Sarma Department of History, Gauhati University, Assam | ||
| People’s Movements against Displacement in Odisha Shri. Praful Samantara Lok Shakti Abhiyan | Forms of Satyagraha: Creative Responses to Injustices in Contemporary India Ms. Priya Sharma Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi | ||
| Challenges before the Forest Dwellers’ Movements Shri. Ashok Choudhury All India Union of Forest Workers | Civil Disobedience as Satyagraha: History and Politics Dr. Dhananjay Rai Department of Gandhian Studies, Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar | ||
| Adivasis and Implementation of the Forest Rights Act Shri. Sanjay Basu Mallik Jharkhand Save the Forest Movement, Ranchi | |||
| The Challenge of abolishing manual scavenging Shri Bezwada Wilson Safai Karmachari Andolan | |||
| Release of the book Struggles for Peace and Justice: India, Etka Parishad and the Globalization of Solidarity By Prof.Karl-Julius Reubke | |||
| Rapporteur | Dr. Prashant K Trivedi | Dr. Shilp Shikha Singh | |
| 10:00 am – 11:30 am | Parallel Session VSeminar Room-I Civilisational Movements and Satyagraha | Parallel Session VI Seminar Room-II Satyagraha, Truth and Culture | |
| Chair | Prof. Mohinder Singh Director, National Institute of Panjab Studies, New Delhi | Prof. Ananta Giri Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai | |
| Paper Presenters | Probing Gandhi’s Political Strategy in view of his Civilisational Politics in India Prof. Arun Bandopadhyay Nurul Hasan Chair Calcutta University, Historical and Archaeological Secretary, the Asiatic Society, Kolkata | Embodying Satyagraha. A Critical Re-Envisioning of Gandhi’s Satyagraha in Light of ‘Biopolitical’ Political Theory and the Climate Crisis Prof. Paul Schwartzentruber Independent Scholar, Halifax, Canada | |
| The Black Satyagraha: A Report from America Prof. Purushottam Bilimoria Graduate Theological Union, University of California Berkeley, Fulbright-Nehru Programme, Ashoka University, Sonepat | Can Art Embody Truth? Gandhi, Aesthetics and the Transformation of Self and the World Prof. John Clammer Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities, Jindal Global University, Sonepat | ||
| Gandhi and Recent Challenges to Women’s Movements: New Frontiers of Gender Justice Dr. Bijayalaxmi Nanda, Acting Principal, Miranda Hose, University of Delhi Dr. Nupur Ray Kamala Nehru College, University of Delhi | Satyagraha, Three Gunas and the Calling of Hope: Plato, Gandhi, Moltzman and Beyond Prof. Gianluigi Segarleba University of Vienna, Austria | ||
| Rapporteur | Dr. Akhil Alha | Dr. Ravi Ranjan | |
11.45 am – 1:15 am | PLENARY SESSION Venue Multipurpose Hall, Kamladevi Block | |
| Chair | Prof. Ashis Nandy Honorary Fellow, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi | |
| Speakers | The Global Gandhi Prof. Mark Juergensmeyer Department of Global Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara Satyagraha and Movements for Justice and Peace in Africa and Latin America Prof. Beatriz Bissio Federal University, Rio de Janeiro | |
| Rapporteur | Dr. Rityusha Mani Tiwary | |
Lunch 1:15 pm – 2:15 pm
| 2.15 pm – 3: 45 pm | Parallel Sessions VII Seminar Room-I Satyagraha and Swaraj in Ideas | Parallel Sessions VIII Seminar Room-II Re-thinking Satyagraha: Truth, Culture and Religion | Parallel Session IX: Seminar Room-III Satyagraha and Swaraj in Action | |
| Chair | Prof. Madhulika Banerjee Department of Political Science, University of Delhi | Prof. Avijit Pathak Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi | Shri. Suhas Borker Convener, Working Group on Alternative Strategy, New Delhi | |
| Paper Presenters | Certification and Accreditation of Traditional Community Health Providers: A Gandhian Agenda? Shri. Darshan Shankar Foundation for the Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions, Bangaluru | Rethinking and Transforming Satyagraha: Truth, Travel and Translation Prof. Ananta Kumar Giri Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai | On Economics and Ethics: Examining the Scope and Relevance of Gandhi’s Economic Ideas Dr. Priya Bhalla, Fellow, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi | |
| Sanskrutik Samvadke Roop Mein Satyagraha ( Satyagraha in the Form of Cultural Communication Shri.. Anshu Malviya Shahari Gareeb Sangharsh Morcha, Allehabad | Rethinking Satyagraha in a “Post-Truth” Culture Prof. Joseph Prabhu California State University, Los Angeles | Village Swaraj: Decentralised Governance for New India Dr. Ramprasad Pole, Faculty, YASHADA, Pune Maharashtra | ||
| Visionary Futures, Re-visioned Pasts: whither Baisvin Sadi? Dr. Maya Joshi Department of History, Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi | Gandhi: Religion, Spirituality and Satyagraha in the 21st Century Dr. Karl-Julius Reubke Author and Independent Scholar, Colgne, Germany | Gandhi’s Concept and Practice of Truth in the Consumerist Culture of Globalisation Dr. Persis Latika Dass Assistant Professor, Dept. of History, Sophia Girls’ College, Ajmer | ||
| Pedagogy of Constructive Work as Satyagraha Prof. Anup Dhar Director, Centre for Development Practice, Ambedkar University, Delhi | Satyagraha, Ashram and Religion: The Idea of Swaraj and the Philosophical Matrices of Mahatma Gandhi Dr. Payel Chattopadhyay Mukherjee Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIIT Delhi). | Environmental Movements in India: The Legacy of Gandhian Ideas Prof. Ambarish Mukherji, Vidyasagar University, Medinipur, West Bengal. | ||
| Rapporteur | Dr. Nihar Ranjan Das | Dr. Sanjiv Kumar | Ms. Jaya Nair | |
Tea 3:45 pm– 4:00 pm
| 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm | Parallel Sessions X Seminar Room- I Education and Satyagraha | Parallel Sessions XI Seminar Room- II Gandhiji and Satyagraha: Bengal in the 1940s | Parallel Sessions XII Seminar Room-III Women and Peace Movements | |
| Chair | Prof. R. Govinda Former Vice Chancellor, NUEPA, Council for Social Development | Prof. Arun Bandopadhyay Nurul Hasan Chair Professor of History (retd.) Calcutta University, Historical and Archaeological Secretary, Asiatic Society, Kolkata | Prof. Anuradha Chenoy Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi | |
| Paper Presenters | Dr. Sushama Sharma Principal, Anand Niketan, Wardha | Gandhi, Education and Nationalism Prof. Suranjan Das Vice-Chancellor, Jadavpur University | Nav Sharan Singh Rita Manchanda : Re-scripting women-peace -security discourse in South Asia as broader struggles for rights and justice Navsharan Singh …..Demoraic Rights Challenges before the Women’s Peace Movement Independent Researcher and social activist Arshi (Qureshi) Showkat: women’s collective activism in Kashmir Member, Kashmir women’s collective, also research scholar at Jamia Millia Islamia. Sahba Husain The Long View author Love Loss and Longing: Kashmir Devika Mittal : Convener: Aaghaz-e-Dosti – An Indo-Pak Friendship Initiative. Youth mobilising for peace: affirming the significance of Indo-Pak Peace Education Initiatives’ Rosemary Duvichu, …. Prof. Nagaland University Adviser Naga Mothers Association Naga Women’s Movement | |
| Prof.V. Palanithurai Gandhigram Rural University, Tamil Nadu | Intimate Critique: Re-articulating Nirmal Kumar Bose Prof. Prasanta Ray Presidency University, Kolkata | |||
| Prof. Avinash K. Singh Department of Educational Policy NUEPA | ||||
| Satyagraha, Swaraj and Education Dr.Nidhi Gaur, Associate Editor, Ektara, Takshila’s Centre for Children’s Literature and Art | ||||
| Rapporteur | Ms. Rishita Barman | Dr. Sushmita Mitra | Dr. Aparajita Sharma | |
10.00 am – 11.30 am | Parallel Sessions XIII Seminar Room- I Satyagraha in the Modern World | Parallel Sessions XIV Seminar Room-II Discourse on Truth in Global Philosophical Traditions | |
| Chair | Prof. Zoya Hasan Professor Emerita, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Council for Social Development | Prof. M M Verma President, Interfaith Foundation of India, New Delhi | |
| Paper Presenters | Satyagraha and People’s Movement in Latin America Prof. Monica Bruckmann, Director, REGGN, Federal University, Rio De Janerio | Discourse on Truth in Indian Philosophy Prof. Uma Chattopadhyay Department of Philosophy, University of Calcutta | |
| Truth Discourse: Notes from European and Indian Philosophy Dr. Saroj Giri Department of Political Science University of Delhi | |||
| Gandhi and the Discourse on Global Future in China Prof. Huang Yinghong Sun Yatsen University, Guangzhou and Jindal Global University | Truth Discourse in Chinese Philosophy Prof. Arttatrana Nayak Department of Chinese Vishva Bharati, Santiniketan | ||
| Satyagraha and its Relevance for Fledgling Governance and Development in Nepal Dr. Avinash Gupta, South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment, Kathmandu, Nepal | Gandhi’s Truth and Popular Culture Dr. Manindranath Thakur Centre for Political Studies, JNU | ||
| Truth Discourse in the Persian Tradition Dr. Akhlaque Ahmed School of Languages, Jawaharlal Nehru University | |||
| Continuity and Change in the Ideas on Anti-Civilisation in the Works of Mahatma Gandhi, John Zerzan and Derrick Jensen Divyaraj Amiya University of Tuebingen, Germany and University of Zurich, Switzerland | Truth Discourse in Global Traditions: Some Methodological Issues Prof. Manoranjan Mohanty Council for Social Development, New Delhi | ||
| Rapporteur | Dr. Nivedita Sarma | Dr. Satish K Jha | |
Tea 11.30 am– 11.45 am, Venue MPH Corridor
| 11.45 am – 1:15 pm | PLENARY SESSION Venue Multipurpose Hall, Kamladevi Block | |
| Chair | Prof. Neera Chandhoke Former Professor of Political Science, University of Delhi | |
| Speakers | Martin Luther King Jr. and the Gandhian Legacy of Satyagraha Prof. Ramin Jahanbegloo Mahatma Gandhi Chair, Jindal University Coloured Races and Future of Satyagraha Prof. Vinay Lal Professor of History and Asian American Studies, University of California, Los Angeles | |
| Rapporteur | Dr. Seema Parihar | |
Lunch 1.15 pm- 2.15 pm
| 2:15 pm – 3.45 pm | Parallel Sessions XV Seminar Room- I Reclaiming Satyagraha: Swaraj and Constructive Programme | Parallel Sessions XVI Seminar Room-II Religion and Politics in Satyagraha | Parallel Session XVII Seminar Room- III Satyagraha and Mass Communication | |
| Chair | Prof. Vibha Chauhan Principal, Kirorimal College | Prof. Vinay Kumar Srivastava Director, Archaeological Survey of India | Shri. S. Gopalakrishnan Author, Columnist and Broadcaster | |
| Paper Presenters | The Ethics of Gandhian Politics: Satyagraha, Swaraj and Tapasya Prof. Bindu Puri Centre for Philosophy, Jawarharlal Nehru University | If Truth Be Told—Violence, the Body and Freedom in Fanon, Gandhi and Ambedkar Dr. Amitha Santiago Bishop Cotton Women’s Christian College, Bengaluru | Sabarimala: Adversarial Culture and the Role of Media Dr. N. Tamilselvi, Dean, Media Studies, Quaide Milleth International Academy of Media Studies, Chennai, Tamil Nadu | |
| Reclaiming Satyagraha: Truth, Travel and Translation Prof. Meera Chakravorty, Jain University, Benagaluru | Religion and the Political in Gandhi Dr. Rinku Lamba Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University | Satyagraha and the Modern Communication Mr. Subhranshu Choudhary People’s Mobile Network, Chhattisgarh | ||
| Social Service, Religion and the Art of Looking for the ‘Truth’: A Post-colonial Perspective from India Prof. Koushiki Dasgupta Diamond Harbour Women’s University, Kolkata, West Bengal | Role of Church and Civil Society in Social Change and Democracy: Mizoram in the Context of Gandhian Concept and Practices Dr. Suwa Lal Jangu, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, School of Social Sciences, Mizoram University, Aziawl In Search of Inter-religious Truth: The Acts of Travel and Translation in Comparative Theology Prof. James Ponniah School of Philosophy and Religious Thought, University of Madras, Chennai | Satyagraha, Truth and Communication: Gandhi in the time of ‘Fake News’ Dr. Papia Sen Gupta Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University | ||
| Rapportuer | Dr. Poornima M | Dr. Nupur Ray | Dr. Ankita Gupta | |
Tea 3:45 pm-4:00 pm, Venue MPH Corridor
| 4:00 pm – 5:45 pm | Valedictory Session Venue Multipurpose Hall, Kamladevi Block | |
| Chair | Prof. Muchkund Dubey, President, Council for Social Development | |
| Valedictory Lecture | Satyagraha and Life Sustenance on Earth Vandana Siva Environmental Activist and Founder, Navdanya | |
| Reflections on the Seminar | Prof. Vinay K. Srivastava Director, Anthropological Survey of India | |
| Concluding Remarks | Shri. K. N. Srivastava Director, India International Centre | |
| Vote of Thanks | Dr Arathi PM Council for Social Development | |
