[IMC-Process] Re: [IMC Bombay] communication in IMC India and IMC Bombay

[Montgomery Cheddar]

There have been some problems with India Indymedia and it is vital that we have support from outside. Firstly, we need to ensure we have migrated to a new system; at the moment, we are working on "active" which appears to be outdated and inflexible.
 
Secondly, there needs to be a decision as to what IMC-India's role is when the WSF circus comes to Mumbai. Personally, I feel the WSF is an NGO-fest and, in my experience, many grassroots NGOs in India are unwilling to spend so much time and effort in what is yet another NGO conference. I am extremely distrustful of the international NGO circuit and find it full of cliques, opportunists and social climbers.
 
However, there is no doubt that the focus will be on India and I hope that grassroots activists will use India Indymedia as a platform for highlighting problems in India, particularly Hindu fascism and casteism. The WSF appears to be giving lip-service to these issues - it took a lot of effort by some local NGOs to get caste on the agenda. Nevertheless, local activists will want to use the WSF as an opportunity to agitate against the fascist, casteist government and Indymedia must be there to allow them to put forward their views.
 
Given that the active India Indymedia collective is less than a handful of volunteers, there needs to be a big effort towards consolidating the progress we have made over the last few weeks and extending our outreach activities. I have been very busy recently and have been unable to do more than hide fascist rants from the newswire, let alone write features and contact people. I will be incommunicado from Saturday for up to three weeks, which will mean less local involvement.
 
Could some of the "sleeping" members on the India Indymedia list get involved in generating wider interest in Indymedia among activists in the run-up to the WSF?
 
Ganesh.

nity68 at vsnl.com wrote:
hello all:
you're right in observing that the indymedia india, mumbai etc 
haven't been seeing much traffic. but then, this culture is totally 
new to the place. i'd imagine that for indymedia to happen here, we 
need:
1. a target audience (within mumbai, india and outside) that can 
grow;
2. linkages with social movements who are and would be 
potentially interested in using Indymedia;
3. reasons for such movements to see indymedia (india, mumbai) 
etc as something worthwhile to invest precious email time in.
4. a group of volunteers (including techies and people grounded in 
grassroots activism) dedicated to publicising Indymedia, updating 
it, and enlarging the family.

i think it would be a pity not to have a live and kicking Indymedia in 
Mumbai during and after WSF. The WSF and the lead up to it in 
the coming months may well be the opportunity to get IMC back on 
line. However, i hope that Indymedia will remain independent of 
WSF and continue to serve as a platform for diverse viewpoints.

Contrary to what is written below, i do not find anything 
"suspicious" or intentionally negative about the lack of response. 
look at the current Indymedia mumbai lists and website as 
something without the patrons required to keep them in good use. i 
do know that some individuals have tried hard to get it up and 
going. but it just hasn't happened. doesn't mean it won't.
ciao, nity


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