Combating Communalism
Monday July 2 2007 10:33 IST
HYDERABAD: As a civil rights activist, educationist and journalist, Teesta Setalvad has been fighting against fundamental elements in politics as well in administration.
But having more than 15 years of experience in these fields, the lady today feels that smaller basti-level activism is the most important way of safeguarding the nation’s secularism. ‘‘It is smaller groups at the local level which should start keeping a watch on the administrative machinery like police stations, for instance,’’ she says.
Speaking to this website’s newspaper on Saturday while she was in the city, Teesta shared a few of experiences.
Though she is working with victims of Gujarat and in areas like criminal justice system, she feels that the right kind of education to children can be an effective way of combating communalism.
‘‘You see ghettoisation not just in bastis but also in schools. For instance, Marathi schools predominantly have Marathi Hindu students, while Urdumedium institutions are flooded by Muslim students. This is becoming a common phenomenon across the country and not just in Maharashtra and Gujarat,’’ Teesta says. ‘‘This is where seeds of communalism are sown by fundamentalist groups,’’ she opines.
In an attempt to combat such forces, Teesta started an initiative, Khoj, about 14 years ago. Five schools from Hyderabad, apart from those in Gujarat and Maharashtra, are associated with it. Khoj intends to spread secular education among children. A group of history teachers form its network.
These teachers hold interactive sessions with students on topics like ideal religion, conflicts and communal harmony. Every day, these sessions are held for an hour. This is apart from the regular curriculum of the students.
Teesta feels that today’s students are victims of the media. ‘‘Violent and glamorous images shown on television present a totally different picture to children, which is not the real world. In an attempt to make the students understand the real world, sessions on media criticism are also held. In all, 1,100 Mumbai Municipal Corporations schools and a few schools in Gurajatk and elsewhere are part of this initiative,’’ she adds.
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