Jan Adhikar Yatra 2008 – The Second Phase
District : Purulia (28th & 29th January’08)
Place of stay for Yatra Team: Guest House, Mandra Lions Club
Date: 28th Jan’08 – Day 1:-
The inauguration of the second leg of the Jan Adhikar Yatra took off at Ayodhya More of Baghmundi Block in the district at 11 AM once the tableau of the Yatra reached the spot. There was a gathering of about 40 people and there were passer bys who either stood and listened or looked on the gathering and street corner while passing by that was organised by Purulia District Education Network. The District Convener Sri Bidhan Chandra Mahato welcomed the Yatra team and the participants of the gathering. He told the gathering the need and the importance of this Yatra and welcomed the people to be part of this as after 60 years of India’s Independence it is high time that people raise voice to realize their Rights as guaranteed by the Govt. of India in the Constitution of India and spelled in various treaties, laws, policies and Acts. Sri Bidhan Mahato invited and asked the people to join the culmination of the Yatra in Kolkata on the 5th of January.
After the speech by Sri Bidhan Mahato, further speeches were delivered by Sri Nibaron Mahato (The Prinicpal of Higher Secondary School, Baghmundi)- who also delivered the welcome speech as the Chairperson of the gathering, Bhabani Prasad Singh (a Social Worker), Somnath Singha Roy (Second State Person WBEN & Secretary, Mandra Lions Club), Girija Prasad Mohanty (Teacher Baghmundi High School and a CPM Organiser), Partho Sarkar (Convener of WBEN’s Cooch Behar Chapter), and Rabi Rai (State Coordinator, WBEN). Sri Sunil Mahato a member of WBEN’s Purulia chapter presented an awareness song in Jhumur style upon the issue of education, health, and livelihood and child protection.
After the gathering’s formal closure, the participants walked upto the statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and garlanded the statue apart from offering flowers and raising the slogans of the Yatra. Next the tableau and the yatra team left for and reached Sindri under Baghmundi Block for a street corner. The street corner started with Shaktipado Mahato rendering a Jhumur based awareness song on education. Here the speech was delivered by Rabi Rai only. The programme was cut short due to late arrival of the team and as most of the people had left by then. However there was still a presence of around 25 odd people.
After Sindri, the Yatra team moved on to Birsa More under Jhalda II Block for a Street Corner meet. Here the speakers were Bidhan C. Mahato, Rabi Roy, Partho Sarkar and Kingshook Bhattacherjee. All the speakers spoke on the issues of education, health and livelihood, lack of people’s space and participation in the process of governance, planning and implementation apart from review of the schemes and programmes/projects meant for the people, the anti-people govt. policies, the atrocities by the power on the powerless and voiceless, the plight of the marginalized section of the society. The speakers highlighted on the need for people to come together on these issues and voice out their Rights and Child Rights which are presently being violated by the people’s representatives in power who have been actually elected by the people and are not transparent and accountable towards the very people who have elected them. The speakers welcomed the people to join the force and be a part of the Yatra by telling the importance of the Yatra after introducing WBEN, NAFRE and the need for such people’s alliances. Here there were around 50 people who listened to the Yatra team.
The next Street Corner was held in Begunkodor Market place under Jhalda II Block. Here the gathering was of about 70 people apart from those who were present in the thickly populated market place busy buying or selling the wares and necessities. Here too awareness songs were rendered by Sunil and Shaktipado Mahato. The speakers were Partho Sarkar, Bidhan Mahato and Rabi Roy. People mingled with the Yatra team and showed interest in the process. Post Begunkodor Street Corner, a cultural programme was organised for an hour or two which the Yatra team could not attend as being delayed in the process of holding street corners and in traveling. At all the places ample amount of leaflets regarding the Yatra and the charter of demands were distributed amongst the bystanders and people who had come to listen apart from the passersby.
Programmes at two places (Kotsila Railway Station and Aharra More) had to be cancelled due to delays in carrying out the programme.
Date: 29th January - Day 2
The second day of the Jan Adhikar Yatra started at 10 AM with the Street corner meeting at Duarshini More under Baghmundi Block where the speakers were Shaktipado Mahato (who also rendered a song), Bidhan Mahato, Partho Sarkar and Rabi Roy. There were about 30 people listening to the speeches. The second Street Corner meet then took place at Balarampur Bus Stand where speeches were rendered by Vibhishan and Bidhan Mahato, Rabi Roy, Partho Sarkar and Kingshook Bhattacherjee. A song was rendered by Shaktipado Mahato.
After these, two more Street Corners were held in Balarampur Haat Tola (this was unplanned) and Berada under Burrhabazar Block. After this two more programmes in the Purulia District (Street corners at Golchakra, Burrhabazar and Manbazar Bus stand) could not be held due to lack of ample time.
Post Berada the Yatra team comprising of Rabi Roy, Kingshook Bhattacherjee, Partho Sarkar, Praloy Mustafi, Bidhan Chandra Mahato, Vibhishan Mahato and Shaktipado Mahato moved on towards Bankura District leaving Purulia District.
District : Bankura (29th & 30th January’08)
Place of stay for Yatra Team: A Nursery School in Bankura
The Jan Adhikar Yatra team after leaving Purulia district, entered the Bankura district on the 29th January in the evening at around 5:30 PM. The Team was warmly welcomed by the district team at Budhanpur. The Yatra in Bankura District was inaugurated and flagged of by the MLA (RSP) Mr.Anath Bandhu Mondal. A street corner was arranged where it was Chaired and presided over by Ms.Anjali Kundu a Principal of a Govt. Primary School along with the Block Convener Mr.Heeralal Pal and members of the district chapter Biplab Roy, Jagdish Mahato and Haripada Bhuniya apart from the District Convener Mr.Haradhan. Even in that chill of hour when it had grown dark, there were about 80 to 90 people from the nearby villages who participated in the Street Corner and listened patiently to the speakers. The main speakers were Mr.Haradhan, Mr.Rabi Roy, Converner of Cooch Behar chapter Mr.Partho Sarkar, Mr.Biplab Roy and Ms.Anjali Kundu.
The yatra team then proceeded for their stay at night in a Nursery school. On the 30th of January at 9:15 AM the first Street Corner was held at Chhatna Mor where a tribal group welcomed the Yatra team and inaugurated the programme with their Folk dance and songs (Rinja Nritya) which talked about the decreasing values of life marked by decreasing and poor quality of education, health and livelihood in todays context. The programme was organised by Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Shramajeebi Samity (supporting the district chapter of WBEN in Bankura). The speakers were Haradhan, Partho Sarkar, Rabi Roy and Suchitra Mondal.
After the street corner at Chhatna Mor, the next programme of street corner was at Machantala near Bankura Municipality. There a small street corner was presided over before the rally from Machantala till Lalbazar. Due to the great distances covered and loss of time, the Press Conference could not be held. Haradhan however spoke to a couple of people from the Print Media and handed in papers and documents related to Yatra which spoke about the objectives of the Yatra and the charter of demands. After this there was a lunch break. Next due to paucity of time again and bad weather, the next programme at Indas Block could not be held. However, a small meeting was held with the Block Convener of Indas Mr.Rahamat Ali and a retired Principal of a school Amarul Haque and a few people of the area.
From Indas, the Yatra team was seen off from Bankura district and the Yatra team then proceeded towards Birbhum District (the last district of the second phase of Yatra). The Yatra team reached Birbhum district at about 11:40 PM on 30th January in the dark of the night and was warmly received by the young members of the Birbhum district chapter at Banavilla (project office of CSRA – Surul Centre for Services in Rural Area, an NGO). There was nothing much left at that hour except to have food and retire to bed.
District : Birbhum – 31st January’08)
Place of stay for Yatra Team: The Project Office of CSRA, Banavilla, Birbhum.
The Birbhum Yatra started with a Rally by 200 children on the issue of Equal and Quality Education for All, Right of People over Natural Resources, Right to Work and Food and Right to Health in 3 villages of Illambazar block Phoolbagan, Dhalla, Sayerpara, Shaldanga and Achhaipara (under Illambazar Gram Panchayat). A Cycle Rally by 80 Youths from 20 villages under Bilati and Illambazar Gram Panchayats in Illambazar Block simultaneously took place on the above mentioned issues and Rights. Both rallies converged in Dhalla village at 10:00 AM where a huge Village Meet was organised where about 100 villagers were present apart from the children and the youths. There were teachers from govt. primary schools and MSKs, ICDS workers, ANMs, PRI members and Tribal leaders (Morole) present during the occasion. The main speaker during this Meet was Kingshook Bhattacherjee (from CRY). A tribal folk dance performance preceded the Meet and before the Meet all the members of the Yatra team were again given a very warm welcome in the traditional way by the local tribals from the villages.
After the Village Meet, another Meet (like a Street Corner) was organised in Banavilla. Here people, CBOs, and NGOs from Mohammadbazar Block apart from Illambazar too participated. The main speakers during this meet were, Susmita Chanda, Kingshook Bhattacherjee, Bidhan Chandra Mahato (Convener of Purulia chapter of WBEN), Santanu, representative of an NGO (MMBCDS) from Mohammmad Bazar and Satyabrata Saha. There too tribal folk dances were presented. Next, a short “Padayatra” took place from Banavilla till Ramnagar village which ended up in the premises of the govt. library of the village. There a small meeting was held with the villagers dwelling on the above mentioned issues and Rights of the people, the aims and objectives of the Yatra, the need for the common mass to rise up and raise their voices.
With the end of the meeting at Ramnagar, the second phase of the Jan Adhikar Yatra came to and end. The Yatra team after a lunch was seen off for converging on the 5th of March for the Kolkata culmination of the 21 days old Jan Adhikar Yatra of West Bengal State.
