RECLAIMING OUR REPUBLIC
Understanding Issues and challenges and working towards Constitutional Values
9-13, March 2025
Background
On January 22, 1947, the “Objective Resolution” of the Indian Constitution was unanimously adopted by the Constituent Assembly, affirming that sovereignty rests with the people. The founding members of our country recognized the plurality of India’s social fabric and embraced diversity to build a nation grounded in the principles of our Constitution.
However, many of us are aware that the alarming rise of a dangerous, hate-driven, divisive, and authoritarian ideology that has taken root in our country over the past few years is subverting these principles. The past decade, in particular, has seen repression and clampdown on freedom of expression and democratic voices, on an unprecedented scale. The BJP-RSS regime has engineered a frontal attack on the Constitution itself, dismantling of independent regulatory and investigative institutions, including constitutional foundations of federalism, social justice, and secularism. Crisis of unemployment, distress migration, widening wealth gap, attacks on diversity, pluralism, curtailment of independent media, gendered crimes, persecution of minorities has only become worse.
It is time to stand up against this fascist regime. Each individual in this struggle is guided by the Indian Constitution, which promises liberty, equality, and justice to every citizen, irrespective of caste, creed, religion, or gender.
At the Sambhaavnaa Institute of Public Policy and Politics, we are organizing a five-day workshop designed to provide activists, scholars, academics and all concerned citizens with the necessary ideas and tools to combat these forces that spread lies and deceit. A group of dedicated and senior resource persons will support you on this journey.
About the workshop
- Understanding the history, origin, nature, and narratives of modern authoritarianism, current propaganda of hate, divisiveness, and communal politics
- Understanding the nature of the threats to the republic in the context of, free speech, muzzling the media, the rule of law, and weaponization of institutions
- Threats to the poor, especially in the context of dilution of social welfare laws such as MNREGA, Food Security act, etc. and the change of labor laws
- Understanding the threats to minorities by the use of identity politics, majoritarianism, and othering
- Exploring the counter and positive narratives supporting diversity, equality, freedom and justice
- Identifying and combating fake news and disinformation which spreads hate and divisiveness
- Constitutional tools to protect the rights of the people, like RTI and public interest litigation
- Building and safeguarding robust regulatory institutions that function with transparency and accountability to the people
This workshop is not meant as an academic exercise but is a call to action for people to challenge the status quo and contribute in meaningful ways in whatever context they live and work, to rebuild and reclaim our republic from the onslaught of divisiveness, hate and fear.
The workshop will use an interactive and didactic approach to learning and will have a collaborative curriculum – themes, concepts and case studies. Through interactive discussions and conversations, film/documentary screenings, lectures, songs of resistance, and sharing of stories, and of lived experiences by activists and scholars, we shall engage with the above mentioned questions.
Resource Persons:
Amrita Johri – Amrita Johri is a member of Satark Nagrik Sangathan. She has been actively involved with the Rights to Information and Rights to Food campaign.
Navin Kumar – Navin is the founding editor of Article 19 India news channel on youtube. He has served as Editor and reporter at ABP News, News 24, India TV, Sahara Samay, and News Express.
Prashant Bhushan: Prashant Bhushan is an Indian lawyer, activist and politician. He is noted for his use of public interest litigation (PIL) to support a number of causes related to corruption, environmental protection and human rights.
Nikhil Dey – Nikhil Dey is a social activist. He works for the MKSS (Mazdoor Kishan Shakti Sangthan), Suchna Evum Rozgar Adhikar Abhiyan and NCPRI (National Campaign for People’s Right to Information).
Prof Apoorvanand – Apoorvanand is a professor at the Hindi Department, Faculty of Arts, University of Delhi. He has worked on Marxism in Hindi. He is also a regular columnist and political commentator.
Who is this workshop for: This workshop is for people involved in social or political activism for at least 3 years and are concerned about this state of affairs today. It is a call to come together to celebrate and strategize, to reimagine and reclaim the Republic. We invite young minds to come together and use this opportunity to sharpen their understanding and capacities to engage with their surroundings. We believe that commitment on issues highlighted above will enrich their work aimed at reclaiming our republic.
Language: The workshop will use inclusive and simple language to ensure accessibility to participants from diverse educational backgrounds. Sessions will primarily be conducted in Hindi and some English.
Dates and Venue: 9th to 13th March, 2025. Sambhaavnaa Institute, VPO – Kandbari, Tehsil – Palampur, District – Kangra, PIN 176061, Himachal Pradesh
How to reach the Sambhaavnaa’s campus: Please visit: Getting here
Contribution towards program costs:
We hope each participant will contribute an amount of Rs. 4000/- towards the workshop expenses, including all on-site workshop costs: boarding, lodging, and all the materials used in the workshop. Need-based partial waivers are available, especially for people from marginalized communities. We have a very limited number of partial waivers, so, please apply for a waiver only if you really need it. Please do remember that there may be others who need it more than you.
To register, please fill out below form.