From Ludhiana : Bassi Pathana Town- Fathegar sagar dt: 7th October- 2010

Meeting in Chandigarh, Procession in Ambala, Usha Ramanathan garlanding cultural activist

A Community meeting was held in Valmiki Mohalla-. It was attended local eminent persons from the community, Mr. Sardar Sukhdev Singh Jamagal- rtrd Additional Judge, Mr. Kaval Jit Singh Mattu, Advocate, Mr. Dholak Ram- and President, Safai karmachari Union, and community leader Mr. Ram ji Lal, Govt Employee. 12 liberated SK women took the responsibility of organising a meeting in the basti with the support of committee people. They invited the community as well as general public to the meeting, where the mission, demands, SKA’s back ground were discussed and people’s views were taken.

10 CDs on Baba Saheb and his writings were distributed by the judge to all the yatris.

SK women like Krishna Neena, Raja Rani , Sunita, Lasho, Prem actively participated in the meeting and shared with the participants that they are going to receive the rehabilitation support on Monday- 11th Oct. These liberated women also shared with the media that now govt officers are releasing amount s for rehabilitation and this decision came even as they came to know about the Yatra.

SKs freed from Manual Scavenging like Krishna and Prem shared their happiness that they had left the work and were excited that now they are on the threshold of a new life. Now all SKs are liberated...they all agreed to go anywhere to motivate other safai karmacharis into this movement . Youngsters from the community are very happy- they played drums and sang songs of pain and of liberation, and spoke to the media with great courage.

The participants observed 2 minutes silence in condolence of the sad demise of S. R. Sankaran—they observed that ‘though he is not there with us, his mission is, he is the “Marga Darshi’(guide) for all SKs across the country .’ What a fitting tribute to the chairperson of the SKA, who strived all his life for the welfare of the marginalised and stigmatised!

Mediapersons from PTC news channel, MH1, ANI news channel, Punjab club ,Sathvi news attended the meeting. All the print media also covered the community events and govt’s announcement of rehabilitation.

Liberated Safai karmachari women- now in leadership: Yatris Proceeded to Kurali Tehsil, Mohali dt: Meeting started with Sraddhanjali to Sankaran

6 liberated and rehabilitated SKs organised a warm welcome for the Yatris. Anita, a liberated woman, presided over the community meeting. It was a big gathering. A portrait of Baba Saheb was garlanded by liberated and rehabilitated SKs and SKA team.

At the meeting, there was a discussion on Manual scavenging prevention Act -1993, Govt policies and rehabilitation provisions.

General Secretary of Safai Mazdoor Cell in the state Mr. Rajpal Bedra attended the meeting and heard all about the issue from different SKA teams from Punjab, Rajasthan, HP, Haryana and liberated women.

He applauded the efforts of the activists for eradication, saying that for the first time in the country, SKs are emerging as one voice against manual scavenging, and that it is wonderful to see the liberation process in many states.

Ms. Tara, a liberated women recounted her struggles for a dignified life, and how she succeeded in getting work in the Municipality. The success stories of Kamlesh, Anita, Asha etc, who are all now working in Municipality were also shared. Lunch was served with great affection by liberated women and their families and Mohalla Committee.

Chandigarh:

The Yatra reached Chandigarh at 8 PM and welcomed by General Secretary of Dr. Ambedkar Bhavan Committee, prominent Punjab & Haryana High Court Advocate Mr. Anil Lam Dharia, and Vice president Shanti Ram and many other team members. A meeting was held in the conference hall. Baba Saheb’s portrait was garlanded and till 10.30 Pm there was an animated discussed mostly on legal provisions, govt’s apathy, Supreme Court’s case, SKA’s counter response and the influence of Parviartan Yatra on various stakeholders. Members of the SKA team from different states also shared their experiences. Saying they are with SKA since 2004, they assured the gathering that they would continue their solidarity to reach the goal. Accommodation, dinner and next day’s breakfast were hosted by Ambedkar Bhavan committee.
Posted on October 20, 2010

SAMAJIK PARIVARTHAN YATRA Meeting in Dibrugarh, Flagging off the Birsa Munda Marg in Dibrugarh, Rally in Behala Chowrasta,Kolkota 7th October: The Birsa Munda Marga- Samajik Parivarthan Yatra, started in Dibrugarh, Assam on 7th October at 3 p.m. The route is named after Birsa Munda, a tribal (adhivasi) leader and a folk hero from Bihar and Jarkhand region and an important figure in the history of human rights movement before independence. More than 200 people assembled at Ambedkar School. Mr.Pratap Basfor explained the importance of Samajik Parivartan Yatra and its role in bringing about a social change and liberation of safari karmacharis. The safai karmacharis talked about their liberation struggle and the ill-treatment they still suffer in the Municipality and the gram panchayats. As the SKs were sharing about their liberation and struggles, the whole crowd went silent. Then many people sang songs and shared poems about the issue. Mr. Deepak Valmiki, Gen. Secy SC District Committee flagged off the Yatra. The local community expressed their gratitude to the Yatris for including Dibrugarh in this land mark event of Socail Change. The Yatri then left for Guwahati in the morning at 9 a.m. 8th Oct Since it was difficult to travel to the nearby districts in Assam due to the terrain, many people from the nearby districts like Johrat, Naogaon, Bogaigaon and Sibsagar came in jeeps and buses and took part in the meeting in Guwahati. The meeting took place in “Satyanath Bora Bhavan”,Guwahati. About 100 people participated and shared their own experiences of humiliation and suffering as members of safai karamachari commnity. The high point of the meeting was when the women participants shared their liberation struggle. They said they will not lie low but will fight for the rights and dignity of the community. Dr.Y.Moses ska core team member and Mr.Jaan Das , Vice-President Central Committee, All Assam Anususitha Jati Sangram Samiti and Deepak Valmiki paid tributes to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and flagged off the Yatra to proceed to Kolkata and beyond. The state SKA conveyor thanked everyone for their participation and co-operation. Posted on October 20, 2010

For more infoprmation or any question, please contact the numbers:
Prem Sondhi, President (530-751-3887), Gurpal Singh Chairman (916-388-9670),
Vinod Gill, Cashier (530-822-9587), Balbir Thaper, Vice Chairman (916-607-4650)

Posted on October 6, 2010