JOIN US3-day event to mark NGO’s 50th year
A three-day event called ‘A celebration of empowerment — 50 years of innovation and sustainability at Barefoot College Tilonia’ will be held in the city this weekend.
The Social Work and Research Centre (SWRC), better known as The Barefoot College, was founded by Bunker Roy in 1972 in a village in Ajmer, Rajasthan (see box).
The event will host speakers like Gopalkrishna Gandhi, author, diplomat and
former governor of West Bengal, Laila Tyabji, chairperson of Dastkar, Uzramma, co-founder of Handloom Futures Trust, social activist Aruna Roy, and Bunker who has been on Time’s 100 most influential people list.
On November 18, Gopalkrishna will be in conversation with Bunker on ‘Working for a Better World’, a session curated on people-centric development.
November 19 will
feature performances and conversations by barefoot artistes.
Srinivas Ethiraj, programme support coordinator of The Barefoot College, Tilonia, shares, “Barefoot communicators will use traditional forms of music, puppetry, and conversations to explain the work done by the organisation.”
These artistes have performed in northern India and travelled to Norway and the UK and are known for blending traditional skills with development.
“This will be followed by a slideshow, which will communicate the statistics of our success and varied programmes. A craft and photo exhibition will also be held,” he informs.
On November 20, ‘The Politics of Craft’ session will bring together Laila, Uzramma and Aruna.
They will discuss how changing consumer preferences, availability of cheaper alternatives and access to bigger brands are affecting artisans and their craft. Challenges concerning raw materials, credit and market will also be discussed.
*The event will be held from November 18 to 20, 6 pm to 8 pm, at Bangalore International Centre, Domlur. Call 98865 99675
What is The Barefoot College?
It is a 50-year-old community-based organisation, modelled on Mahatma Gandhi’s beliefs that knowledge, skills and wisdom found in villages should be used for their own development. It works for the development of marginalised communities and individuals, ranging from issues of clean water to education, solar power, health, advocacy and rural livelihoods, including handicrafts, informs Srinivas Ethiraj.
Kannada filmmaker’s stint
Umashankara Swamy volunteered with The Barefoot College for roughly two years after completing his engineering course. “That time, it was working on integrated rural development, concentrating on night schools, women’s development, and clean drinking water. It has grown multifold in the last 50 years. Now their work extends to drama and puppetry as well,” says the Kannada filmmaker. There are many offshoots of the organisation and “any number of experiments for the betterment of the society” is welcome, he adds.