Sub: Manya Prantha Shanti Yatra PLUS

Jai Insaan, Jai Hind and Jai Jagath.

• I hope that at least initially SOWMITRI will extend the services

of Secretary, coordinator and one who bells the cat.
• I feel alone and confused. The proposal of Shasi that I should
stay at Hyderabad for couple of weeks and mobilize can be
done if I get company and encouraging support from him.
• In fact, a team of such younger persons including Raghavan
must be explored in Solidarity with Tribals living in
Dandakaranya.

An important need for the success, involving all- inclusiveness and

sustenance of this intervention is to ensure from day 2, erase
VBC image in the lead. We need a real team to be the core. VBC
is only a proactive friend to be invited if needed to this core and
participant in the activities.

For that matter, ideally no one person should take full credit of
leading this and surely not the old blood in the field. It will lesser
evils if friends like Sowmitri get projected in the lead. I SEE THIS
POSSIBILITY IN YOU, DEAR FRIENDS.

• This is the reason for my hesitation in meeting others and

mobilizing support. I am choosy at the moment.

I was fortunate to get an opportunity to have a meeting of all the staff members of
ASDS organization at their Rekapalli office on the 31st December 2009, who is
working in immediate relief and support activities to Chattisgarh Internally
Displaced persons (IDPs) in Khammam District of Andhra Pradesh.

They get financial support for this work from Action Aid and Association for India ’s
Development- AID- an Indian NRI driven funding group, National Alliance … (NAPM),
few Human Rights forums, Civil Society etc…as they said. Immediately there is
Solidarity Group to support these IDPs consisting of all the just mentioned
concerned groups and individuals and their main field contact Hero is Himans
Kumar based at crucial Dantewada in Chattisgarh. There are few of them at
Hyderabad . There is also another National Level Group Chattisgarh Joint Action
Committee based- I presume in Delhi .

There is lot of secrecy of information and they say a need for approval from
Solidarity Group for giving out certain information- even discretely, because
these are misused by Police against activists and even the People. I see both
a need and no need for such secrecy.

Any way, he finally agreed to participate in a meeting at Hyderabad and he was

passively agreeing to involve other Solidarity members at Hyderabad at this
meeting. I expect him to give his two-three convenient dates by sixth of this month
so that I can finalise a mutually convenient date- along with you at our sixth
meeting (???!!! Will I be able to physically participate in the given
Telangana war like apprising situation- I am now at Araku)

I have these following questions to share with you.

1. Can we broad base Solidarity groups to interact without ‘loosing their

identity’ but only share the concern? Can you at Hyderabad through web and
other means of contacts, get complete contact details…including the details
of those in the field like Himans ( I am trying to give as many such email IDS
in this email. I Am not getting proper response because of my ‘strong
language style’ and assertive nature- probably by your suave nature and
style, you can bridge)
2. In fact, there is a strong meeting on the 6th and 7th January at with Himans at
his place in Dantewada with Medha and few lead lights and weights
participating in it. (Oh! I just got informed that Himans is arrested and this
meeting may not take place ??????!!!!!!!! It is at the time of typing 7.00 PM
3rd Jan 2010)
3. I have a strong hunch that Funding Agencies have a role in not
involving me/us though I am writing to them “without any funding
request” and all ---in fact insisting that I am not asking for funds. I
am also emailing the above groups. From my past experience, I get
a strong belief and feeling that Funding Agencies want to set the
agenda-ultimate and marginalize Independent thinking mad and
even sane persons.
4. In any case there is an unwillingness to listen to dissent views in this
and Solidarity.
5. Equally, I have a strong feeling that the establishments by their nature are
getting an impression that the activities are in support of Maoists, that Talk
of Human Right is seen synonymous and a front and a legal face to the
Maoists. Probably, popular vocal Citizens and opinion makers also have
similar view.
 6. But, for sure these activities – especially with the provocative speeches (say
like that of Medha or Arundati Roy) , every one will conlude that these are
Anti Government. CAN WE NOT GIVE UST ONLY PRO PEOPLE PERSPECTIVE IN
OUR WRITTINGS AND SPEECHES?
7. Still, we must make it and WE CAN. I THINK WE NEED A BROADER POLITICAL
BUT MORE CONSTRUCTIVE AGENDA- THE THIRD ROUTE, LINE OF
APPROACH, HUMANISM- “ AHIMSA, JUSTICE and LOCAL GOVERNANCE
(SELF RULE) AS THE PLANK AND EVENTUALLY NOT JUST CONFINED
TO MAOISTS OR IDPs, but whole gamut of Tribal development in
Dandakaranya..
8. And this must sustain with or without Maoists or any
Hunts.

MANYA PRANTHA SHANTHI YATRA OR IT COULD BE ANY SIMILAR

NAME

HOME WORK TO BE AN ONGOING PROCESS.

1. We may extend some relief support symbolically for IDPs. But, as on now
enough is being done by ASDS. Even in terms of legal relief ( Human Right
and Development based) is fairly provided by them. It may not be wise to
duplicate. We only need convergence in such issue based
interventions.
2. To build a Solidarity Group at Hyderabad (eventually in Bhuvaneshwar and
Raipur ) for our PRPOSED THIRD PATH. At a later date, we can visualize to
build international linkages with aborigines, Natives, Eskimos and others and
their History of movements.
3. A similar Solidarity Platform of grass root initiatives to just share what each
one is doing and cooperate, when needed- if possible. LET US BEGIN WITH
ASDS AND HIMANS.
4. To draw a map beyond the present geographical boundaries of States, when
we conceive of any future Development ideas. We need friends from
Anthrpology and History disciplines to give better explanation.

This will be a useful document, just in case any new State Reorganisation
Commission- SRC is formed. While personally I am no a new State demand,
but needs to b considered as united constituency while planning for
development.

We need a map of Dandakaranya taking into account the following

parameters.

• Naxalites entering and now Maoists spread with control by adivasis

over their Land and Forest as core issues.
• Liberated Dandakaranya Zone by Maoists and what they perceive as
boundaries of Dandakaranya
 • Ramayana and Dandakaranya.
• Ramadas and Dandakaranya.
• Commonness/variation of Language, Dialect and accent.
• Bastar and Hyderabad and NIZAM. Even NIZAM had an exclusive
Anthropologist to advise him on Tribal area Governance and
Management.
• Migration of Koya Community from Bastar to Godavari banks- Gotthi
Koyas and Gommu Koyas or Koya Doras.
• Gonds of Adilabad and Maharashtra Maria Gonds.
• Oria/ Kondh Tribes- living in now Orissa and Vishaka District with
commonness.
• Srikakulam Savaras… what is in border?
• Various Development and mining projects – established, presently and
in future proposed and different stages of progress that will displace
and dispossess Adivasis..
• Eastern Ghats, Manya Prantham etc.

MANYA PRANTHA SANTHI YATRA PLUS??????!!!!!!!!!!!! An Historical

narration.

 We had the first Manya Prantha Chaitanya Yatra in 1991-92 as a

long march from Pahapatnam in Srikakulam entering Oriisa at Rayagada and
again Andhra Pradesh at Araku and finally culminating at Polavaram. Literally all
the Voluntary Organisations/NGOs working in all these areas participated in the
event. Unfortunately, we got split into two just before entering Araku ( In my
opinion personalized ego clashes, let me confess Late Mani was one involved
and I naturally took her side), but we endured and accomplished as two. In a
way, the cooperation that emerged from the Grass root never again
was possible?

In  my own way, I tried in vein to build bridges/ an aborted process

of reconciliation. We, our Girijana Sanghatitha Team (A family of initiatives
closely related to me directly or indirectly or having affinity) organized Manya
Prantha Chaitanya Jatra, the next year. It was a cyce Yatra on the same route
culminating finally at Chatti for a grad around five days of Jatra. A folk festival
like, with thousands thronging, 24 hours activities and illumination by stand by
generators, subsidized food for all served 24 hours.

Subsequently,
 we had events with Manya tag for few years on
smaller scale, but stopped. ALL THESE EVENTS COTERMINATED WITH THE
ENVIORONMENT DAY.

However,
 we could all never come together from the grass root in
the Eastern Ghats after the first event.

We  did have funding agency or fund driven coming together in JFM
(Gopal/CEC was one) etc. Even these got split.

6. MANYA PRANTHA SANTHI YATRA PLUS PROPOSED NOW.

 It will be ideal, but most probably impossible without collision with the
STATE/Police to go through Dantewada and Abhujmud- Chattisgarh State.

But, absolutely, we will have no problem in Andhra Pradesh, to march (by foot,
bicycle, two/four-wheelers etc) from Adilabad to Srikakulam to Rayageda (?!) to
meet and know firsthand from IDPs their issues and the local tribal communities
of their displacement/dispossession issues. We have at the moment not that big
Problem of Maoists versus the state. We are only comparing the Green Hunt
context of literal Emergency in Chattisgarh that does not permit freedom and we
have no such restriction in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa- though Maoists are in
these States also.

We must involve intellectuals and academicians( especially from disciplines of

Anthropology, Sociology, Social Work and Psychology).

We will finally end up a Chatti (symbolically located at the trijunction) with a

massive Jatra of around 7 days. Hold series of mini workshops and exhibition of
facts, figures, history and geography. This will be followed up by the Solidarity
Teams.

It will be worth trying, if we can impress our THIRD

PATH character and neutrality to MAOISTS. May be we can prove
ourselves as real Salwa Jhudum (literally meaning Shanti Yatra).
Government may subtly recognize their misadventure in their
Gun-GIVEN-TO-CHILDREN-Salwa Jhudum and in fact support us
(Such support will bring antagonism from Maoists, but just
permission will be great).

With these by next email(s) I shall send the contact emails with what little
information I know and re-oriented agenda of mine (I need someone to finally
articulate and be able to present a consistently worded agenda in English, Telugu,
Oria and Hindi)

With Regards,

V.B.Chandrasekaran,

People’s Peace and Prosperity Mission.

Email: verivaan2049@yahoo.com bragadambal@yahoo.co.in

Mobile: 9490109328