[IMC Bombay] Re: [IndyMedia Bombay] A personal response to bouds email

[john from bombay ced]

Dear Sanjay & Shekar
I was out of station, and out of electronic circulation. I was 
distressed to read the last few mailings on Boud and his 
interventions. Since I have missed the group meetings, I feel a little 
diffident to give my views, as I have probably missed out on some 
critical communications.

On going through Boud's interventions, I did not feel that he was 
trying to play boss or dictate terms.  What he was doing is bring 
bombay imc in line with previous thinking, decisions, which are not 
his alone, but an effort of a group.  Every identity and more so a 
"open" non hierarchical identity, needs to set out its terms.  
Unfortunately, boud's understanding of grassroots is totally at 
variance with our situation here in Bombay..
Some of us English speaking  Internet types may be from "peddar 
road" but most of us do come "proletarian" families who educated 
their children in English medium schools, and who now speak the 
Internet language. In many of our families, we have brothers who 
are laid out of jobs, and sisters who have been abandoned. I know 
many in our circle who come from families who are poorer than 
most persons from organised "worker" class, yet they come 
across differently to the bouds of the world!
For Boud, these are not "Dalits" or "Adivasis" and therefore we 
need to "cross the street"..
My issue with Boud, we have plenty to do on this side of the street 
in any case.. 
And if we have to find a medium in which the real poor among dalits 
and adivasis have to participate, then indymedia or internet or even 
the print medium is definitely not the platform. 

What we can do is take the spirit of what the "grassroots" 
argument is all about, and ensure that we make specific attempts 
to involve those who are working with dalits and adivasis, the 
unions etc.  Since many of them will not have access to Internet, 
we may have to consider other means, like sending printed copies, 
and receiving contributions in oral and print form for transcription.

So I would definitely suggest a kind of low-cost printed digest sent 
monthly to key persons who are not in the electronic circuit. Let us 
try and compile such a list of persons, and contribute towards 
printing and circulation.. 


John D'Souza
CENTRE FOR EDUCATION & DOCUMENTATION
www.doccentre.org

Three New Backgrounders from CED
1. Background to Globalisation
2. Changing the Stream: Backgrounder on Women's movement in India
3. The Long & Winding Road: From Structural Change to Structural Adjustment. Backgrounder on NGOs and people's movement