Monthly Archives: September 2006


Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement Artist: Cesar Chavez Created: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 Category: Documentary Documentary on grape workers movement – one of the biggest social movements in the history of USA I recently met someone who was involved in the Farm Workers Movement. I was told that it was one of the largest movements in the United States and Cesar Chavez, its charismatic leader was as popular as Martin Luther King at its time. I had to hear that with a certain sense of shame since I had not even heard about the movement till […]

Touching documentary on Farm Workers Movement USA


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The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow Link Created: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 Category: Documentary Producer: PBS One of the best documentaries on the rise and fall of Jim Crow (segregation) laws in USA I have been hearing of Jim Crow laws ever since I came to the US and I decided to check out a documentary on this issue. This four-part series by PBS turns out to be one of the best documentaries on this issue. I have covered just the first part so far that starts from the emancipation and goes till the (in)famous formation of separate-but-equal doctrine […]

Documentary series on Jim Crow America by PBS


Eyes on the prize Link Created: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 Category: Documentary Director: Henry Hampton Eyes on the prize is easily one of the best documentary series ever made. It covers the civil rights movement in USA from 1954 to 1965. Black war Veterans returned from fighting in Europe and other continents for ‘freedom’ and democracy to return home to Jim Crow America. Reluctant efforts to desegregate a highly divided society only resulted in mobilising a stiff white resistance. Ku Kulx Klan emerged to terrorise and keep the ‘Negros’ in their place. This time around, African Americans respond with a […]

Best documentary on American civil rights movement



If i had a hammar Artist: Pete Seeger Duration: 58 Created: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 Category: Documentary Just saw this documentary that reviews some of the major social movements in the US through songs of Pete Seeger. I had not realised that Pete Seeger was the composer of many hugely popular songs including we shall overcome and if I had a hammer. The documentary is weaved by a presentation by Pete himself who takes us through various important social movements including Trade Union movements in various cities, civil rights movement, far workers movement, feminist movement, peace movement and finally the […]

Documentary on Pete Seeger & social movements


Planning commission forgets children in its approach paper for the eleventh five-year plan   The approach paper for the eleventh plan released by the Planning Commission has forgotten the children under six.  A dream of development that does not include children is a futile dream.  Childhood is the foundation of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of people.  The first six years of life is a period of dramatic growth and development.  Apart from rapid physical and mental growth, children do the difficult task of learning languages, an assortment of physical skills, values and other things required to lead a full […]

Screaming for attention


After ten months of it being stolen, I got my passport back! I lost it in October 2005 along with my pouch and an assortment of materials in it. There was some cash in it but not much. It’s ten months since I lost it, it has miraculously returned. Minus the pouch, a mobile and the cash all else has been returned – and in good condition. The returned items include a few post-it notes I maintained in the pouch, few scrap papers with notes scribbled in them, a pocketbook, a telephone book, old photos, et al. My packet was […]

A responsible thief



Currently the bibliography is primarily around ethnography.  In a few weeks I should be adding texts on other methods including case studies, discourse analysis, etc. I’ve included some reviews in the book review section. My other bibliographies can be seen under the bibliography category. Atkinson, Robert. “Life Story Interviewing.” in Handbook of Interview Research : Context & Method., Edited by Jaber F. Gubrium, James A. Holstein. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2002. Charmaz, Kathy. “Grounded Theory.” in Contemporary Field Research : Perspectives and Formulations., Edited by Robert M. Emerson. 2nd ed. Prospect Heights, Ill.: Waveland Press, 2001. Dey, Ian. Grounding […]

Bibliography: Qualitative research


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This is a reasonably good list of books and articles by my favourite economist – Jean Dreze. These works are ‘academic’ and do not include some of his most interesting works including his diary as a squatter in London, and a set of essays edited by him, Bela Bhatia and Kathy Kelly on the Iraq peace camp. Agarwal, Bina, S. L. Rao, Jean Drèze, Patricia Uberoi, and National Council of Applied Economic Research. The Family in Public Policy : Fallacious Assumptions and Gender Implications. Golden Jubilee Seminar Series. Vol. 9th lecture. New Delhi: National Council of Applied Economic Research, 2000. […]

Books and articles by Jean Dreze: A detailed bibliography (downloadable)


The books and articles here cover many of the key debates on the right to food. I’ve included some reviews in the book review section. My other bibliographies can be seen under the bibliography category. Alston, Philip, and K. Tomaševski. The Right to Food. International Studies in Human Rights. Boston; Utrecht: M. Nijhoff; Stichting Studie- en Informatiecentrum Mensenrechten, 1984. Boerma, Addeke Hendrik, and Colin Mackenzie. A Right to Food : A Selection from Speeches. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1976. Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights. Substantive Issues Arising in the Implementation of the International […]

Bibliography: Right to food (downloadable)



This is a small but growing list on social movements. I’ve included some reviews in the book review section. My other bibliographies can be seen under the bibliography category. Eyerman, Ron, and Andrew Jamison. Music and Social Movements : Mobilizing Traditions in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge Cultural Social Studies. Cambridge, England ; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998. French, John D. Drowning in Laws : Labor Law and Brazilian Political Culture. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2004, http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0411/2003025753.html; http://www.loc.gov/catdir/description/unc041/2003025753.html. ———. The Brazilian Workers’ ABC : Class Conflict and Alliances in Modern São Paulo. Chapel Hill: University of North […]

Bibliography: Social Movements (downloadable)


The reading list started with a course I did with Chandra Mohanty at Syracuse University.  Consequently, most of these are of transnational feminist perspective.  I am working on a fuller list now, and will be updating it in the months to come. I’ve included some reviews in the book review section. My other bibliographies can be seen under the bibliography category. Bhattacharjee, Anannya. “Private Fists and Public Force: Race, Gender, and Surveillance.” in Policing the National Body : Sex, Race and Criminalization ; a Project of the Committee on Women, Population, and the Environment., Edited by Jael Silliman, Anannya Bhattacharjee […]

Bibliography: Transnational Feminism (downloadable)


This is an evolving collection of books and articles that approach hunger from different perspectives.  As of now, it contains some interesting approaches from economic, cultural, geographical, anthropological, gender and other perspectives.  There are a few on hunger in developed countries, specially USA.   Agarwal, Bina, S. L. Rao, Jean Drèze, Patricia Uberoi, and National Council of Applied Economic Research. The Family in Public Policy : Fallacious Assumptions and Gender Implications. Golden Jubilee Seminar Series. Vol. 9th lecture. New Delhi: National Council of Applied Economic Research, 2000. America’s Second Harvest. “Hunger in America 2001.” (2001). Ann Nichols-Casebolt. “Making Ends Meet: Food […]

Bibliography on Hunger (downloadable)



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In this note I have tried to put together some lessons that I learned from the Right to Food Campaign. I have drawn these notes from the activities of the campaign, the discussions we have had, the materials we have prepared for the public interest litigation and for the campaign. The campaign deals with questions that are similar to what we are going to deal with in the seminar viz. ensuring a hunger free India. I have drawn extensively on the materials we have prepared in the campaign, and specially on discussions with the ‘support group’. I would like to […]

Notes from the Right to Food Campaign


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This is based on a field trip to Dhaulpur district of Rajasthan to visit child Anganwadis (care centres) in the district. I went with Sudha, a friend and colleague. DAY 1: A Meeting of ICDS functionaries On our first day at Dhaulpur, at the ICDS Project Office, we chanced upon a gathering of about 60 ICDS functionaries, including AWWs, ANMs and primary school teachers. This was their third day of a workshop, where they had been listening to expert speakers on a range of issues including ayurvedic home remedies, malnutrition, AIDS/HIV issues, education, etc. The functionaries were drawn mainly from […]

ICDS In Dhaulpur


She is interesting…and intriguing. Somewhere along the line, I developed an urge to understand her. I normally don’t attempt to understand abstract maths, modern art, and women. For a little over a forth of a century, I successfully resisted any temptation to understand them. There was one slip though, when a friend convinced me that abstract maths was just like the rest of maths. I applied myself with tremendous energy and soon the ‘rest of maths’ started appearing hazy too. I told him that the rest is now looking abstract. He was rather pleased at my newfound understanding. I tried […]

Miss Understanding



I wish to share with you a message of hope in this anniversary issue of Humanscape. As a recent entrant in the world of social action, I have been asking myself whether people’s campaigns are effective at all. Are they capable of bringing the concerns of people into the political centre-stage and affect the way government works? In two short years of my association with such campaigns, I have gained hope that a well-organised and sustained campaign can indeed bring meaningful changes to the lives of poor and marginalized people. I have drawn inspiration from campaigns on several issues; but […]

A Message of Hope


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“God bless mummy, god bless daddy, god bless teacher who will teach us, and make them happy”.  Standing in a perfect circle, at 10 am sharp, children chanted this prayer to start their activities of the day at the anganwadi. In the next five hours they would learn through play, have one nourishing meal, take a noon nap, and return home to their mother, who had the comfort of having her child taken care of for a significant part of her working day. Immediately after the prayer was a round of physical exercises, accompanied by poems created for the purpose. […]

An anganwadi in Tamil Nadu