Course for the faculty in Medical Humanities at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, February to June 2011
The CMC-Anveshi health collective conducted a faculty training programme in the medical humanities. The faculty training programme was conducted in the form of three two day workshops on March 16th, 17th, April 13th, 14th and on June 1st and 2nd. The first two day workshop focused on the context of health and healthcare in India, i.e., development, neoliberalism, governmentality, etc. The second two day workshop examined the concept of disease, its relation to context and variability, nutrition, pharmaceutical interest, universal health care and ways to understand the concept of health. The third two day workshop examined the question of practice and its importance in medical care, the problems it throws up in terms of specific skills, appropriateness and in much broader terms of justice and accountability. It also looked at some of the questions of how to think about a pedagogic approach to the question of medical practice.
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Book launch of 'No Alphabet in Sight' on 20th April, 2011
Anveshi co-hosted the book launch of No Alphabet in Sight edited by K.Satyanarayana and Susie Tharu published by Penguin on 20th April at the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. Dr.Sanal Mohan from Mahatma Gandhi University and Prof.K.Srinivasulu from Osmania University reviewed the book. Both the editors also spoke at the meeting.
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K.Satyanarayana on “Notes on dalit politics of caste and identity”, 16th April, 2011
K.Satyanarayana, elaborated on the context of the discussion of ‘astitvam’ in the Telugu public sphere. After noting the salient points that arose in the Andhra Jyothi discussion on ‘astitvam’ in 2010, he said that such a discussion is not new to Telugu public sphere. He traced the discussion on identity to the historic debates among the ML parties two decades ago. Even as the astitvavaadulu raise problems with the left debates on identity, the arguments remain to sketchy and need to be fleshed out.
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Parcha Kishan Rao on Politics of intra-state river water distribution:
The case of river Krishna on 26th March, 2011
Kishan Rao Parcha is an engineer by education and a farmer by choice. His ancestral village Chinna Mandava in Khammam district has Munneru river on one side and Krishna district on the other. His family owns and cultivates land in Krishna district too. Both these adjacent lands lying in Telangana and Andhra regions receive Krishna waters through the left canal of Nagarjuna Sagar. Chinna Mandava is situated in the tail-end of the command area. Having watched the irrigation scenario on both sides, he developed a keen interest in the politics of intra-state river water distribution. He has published his views in Telugu newspapers and has also given a memorandum to the Sri Krishna Committee on this issue. K.Sajaya will preside over the meeting.
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Jennifer Fluri on Gender and International Intervention in Afghanistan 12th March, 2011
Jennifer L. Fluri is an assistant professor in the Geography Department and Women's and Gender Studies Program at Dartmouth College. Her research is regionally focused on South Asia with an emphasis on Afghanistan. Her talk focused on gender-based forms of international intervention and the subsequent impacts on Afghan politics/society. In her talk she critically viewed the politics of international aid and militancy in Afghanistan which force a change in the direction and the priorities of local women’s organizations in Afghanistan. In order to understand the issues of Afghan women, she argued, it would be necessary to understand the framing of their issues, largely shaped by the forces of international aid and militancy.
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Conversation with Madeeha Gauhar 3rd March, 2011
Madeeha Gauhar is one of the small group of cultural activists that started Ajoka during the repressive regime of Zia-ul-Haq. For the past 25 years, Ajoka has been part of the struggle for a secular, democratic, just, humane and egalitarian Pakistan. Few cultural institutions have been able to thrive, even survive, in the climate of hostility and apathy towards performing arts that has existed in Pakistan. Most of their plays have been on daring social issues such as dowry, honour killing and discriminatory laws. Juloos, Aik Thi Nani, Mara Hua Kutta, Barri …and with other plays, Ajoka set the wheels turning marking the beginning of the theatre for social change movement in Pakistan. Some of their prominent street and stage plays include Kala Qanoon and Kala Meda Bhes. In collaboration with Indian theatre groups, they also put up Indo-Pak theatre festival Zonani in 2004.
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Madhava Prasad on 'Identity', 22nd January 2011
Madhava Prasad spoke delineated different ways in which identity can be conceptualized. He discussed the conceptual distinctions between identity, existence and recognition. While many identity movements are democratic, he argued that it is the politics of such identity struggles that determine the democratic potential. Without an engagement with the structures of dominance, the emphasis on cultural battles may not lead to democratization process.
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Yehudi Yelkana’ s on Democracy and Education, 18th January, 2011,
in collaboration with Yugantar and Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS).
Prof. Yelkana spoke about the changes needed in the philosophy and management of higher education, based on his experience of working on these issues in Europe. He argued that higher education should be aimed at producing thinking individuals rather than technocrats or workers. Teaching should be given better respectability, remuneration and prestige equivalent to research in the universities. He also shared his views on the ongoing Israeli onslaught on Palestine.
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Women’s Studies Course in Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), January 2011
For the third year in row, Anveshi conducted the Refresher Course in Women’s Studies with Academic Staff College and Department of Women’s Education in MANUU. The theme remains the same: Theories and Issues in Women’s Movement in India: An Introduction. Several members of the Anveshi General Body gave lectures at this course including many Executive Committee members.
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