Dialogue on
Just Governance
12 - 16 February, 2016
Asia Plateau, Panchgani, India
Why a Dialogue on Just Governance? Nationally and globally we confront unprecedented challenges – the threat of runaway climate change, the largest number of refugees since the Second World War, widespread landlessness and economic inequalities, the growth of movements using extreme violence to achieve their aims. Governments cannot cope on their own. We need a whole new level of citizen responsibility. Countries cannot cope on their own. We need a whole new level of global responsibility. Many of us want to take responsibility, but we don’t know how.
It focused on the human attitudes which are at the root of these challenges – apathy, greed, blame, fear of taking responsibility.
This dialogue examined how we can each play our part in creating a quality of just society adequate to meet the challenges we face.
• How can we offer those attracted to violence more effective ways to answer injustice?
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We heard people from many countries who are finding new attitudes, and are overcoming corruption, transforming conflict and pioneering sustainable living. The topics for dialogue included: • How do we answer the addiction of greed, a crucial cause of corruption and inequality?
• How do we resist policies of exclusion to-
wards refugees and the landless, and engender a readiness to share? • How can good governance impact the environmental issues of our times? • Can resources be a community builder rather than the cause for the next war? The Dialogue on Just Governance 2016 assembled almost 150 participants from over 25 countries. As well as the general programme there were ‘dialogues within the Dialogue’ for the delegations from Sri Lanka and Nagaland.
Day 1
Inauguration The inauguration ceremony began with Dialogue organizers Archana Rao and Siddharth Singh welcoming expectant guests to the Dialogue. Dr Ravindra Rao, Asia Plateau’s resident director, gave a short welcome highlighting delegates from Sri Lanka, Nagaland (India), South Sudan and Mali. Following this, R D Mathur, the first director at Asia Plateau, explained the venue’s history stating that ‘some of us dreamed and hoped that the soil of India would be able to create something where people could come open their hearts and souls to seek deeper answers.’ Transitioning to a traditional candle lighting ceremony, three wicks were lit representing the wisdom of the indigenous peoples, healing where there has been pain, and the hope of fruitful outcomes from the Dialogue. Michael Møller, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva had sent a video message to the Dialogue. He referred to the cooperation with IofC in various areas. He warned against trends and a situation where ‘The solidarity of the international community is under strain… The failure of our leaders and institutions to adequately face these challenges is very worrying… A holistic approach to just governance is needed… A number of countries in Asia, from Myanmar to Sri Lanka serve as examples that progress is possible, but the path is still a long one, and I am glad that we can count on you and your joint efforts to promote just governance.’
Friday 12
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Feb
The Honorable Abdon Agaw, Secretary General to the Government of South Sudan, expanded upon the idea that good governance does not always mean democracy. ‘Democracy cannot be made to appear like it is the solution to all problems,’ referring to the fact that there is more to it, specifically, in the context of culture. His Excellency Niankoro Yeah Samake, Mali Ambassador to India, explained how he had brought about effective community change with participatory governance, transparency and accountability as mayor of his hometown. ‘To serve is to lead,’ he summed up. Indian filmmaker Ruchi Bhimani (best known for the award winning documentary The Gulabi Gang) shared her journey of personal change through her encounter with previous year’s Dialogue on Just Governance, affirming her commitment to produce socially relevant films. The final speaker was the Venerable Banagala Upatissa Thero, President of Mahabodhi Society of Sri Lanka and Chief Sri Lankan Monk in Japan. He began by reading a personal message from Sri Lanka’s President, acknowledging that this dialogue is in tune with what Sri Lanka needs today. In Thero’s personal address he left the participants with a sense of expectancy of the Dialogue when he earnestly expressed that ‘we should not divide humanity on the basis of caste, religion, or race.’
An Evening of Soulful Music In the evening the participants were treated to a wonderful experience by the artists, Bindhumalini Narayanswamy and Vedanth Bharadwaj. They performed many songs based on the texts of Kabir a great mystic and poet with universal spiritual significance.
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Just Governance is Not Just for Governments
Day 2
Plenary
Dr Sherman Garnett
Dr Himanshu Kulkarni
Dr.Ganesh Devi
Dean of James Madison College at Michigan State University. USA
Founder Trustee and Executive Director at Advanced Centre for Water Resources Development and Management. India
Former Professor at University of Baroda and Founder Director of the Bhasha Research and Publication Centre. India
Dr Garnett, related governance to teaching.
‘There is already a range of ideas on good governance, including those of Marx, Buddha, Gandhi and others. All those may still be valid. However, these ideas evolve because the world is also changing, and hence dialogue is necessary, including dialogue where the minorities find a space to speak openly, and where there also is room for protest.’
‘Governance tries to deal with conflict often on a base of mistrust. The same can be said about governance of natural resources, as is the case with water access, distribution and management. In earlier times this was tackled through shared responsibility, active participation and community discipline. The solution for a sustainable management of natural resources is to build structures of justice and governance that include trust and discipline.
‘Teaching is a space where you can find people from different places, cultures and mind-sets learning and sharing with each other. When reading the same text we can draw different meaning from it, and at the same time discuss within a certain framework. The same goes with good governance.’
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Soul Nurture
Sudhakar Varansi
Sharada Pawar
A Pioneer of the Emergency Mangement and Research Institute Project and the 108 Emergency Response (ambulance) Service. India
Former Sarpanch (head) of Nizare village, Now working with training of future village leaders in the IofC Grampari rural and ecological centre. India
He started the project when a close friend died because no quick help was available after an accident. ‘Initially we worked with private funding and eventually managed to get several state governments to partner in the projects. By the 10th year, this service has saved 1.5 million lives. Today it is available in 19 states. A single individual can make a big change in India when having a good cause and working together with others, including governments.’
‘For 35 years there has been acute water shortage in my village. Hence I decided my priority was to bring water’. She managed to get governmental funding with which she was able to bring piped water from the mountains to her village. She had to face a lot of opposition with men not wanting a woman to succeed.
Plenary Moderator
Jorulf Slide Norway
The Dialogue gave the participants the possibility for an early morning reflection. On one of the days, the Venerable Banagala Upatissa Thero offered a spiritual input for the session, ‘Things make our mind unhappy, as well as anger and ignorance. People are dissatisfied because they keep wanting more. Do not let the mind go heavy on desires. Contentment is most important to extend life.’ In preparation for the first plenary Dr Ravindra Rao spoke of ‘putting into practise IofC’s universal values of purity, honesty, unselfishness and love, and listening to our inner voice. These two tools can give us the courage and the confidence to become a leader, a change-maker. Everybody wants to see the other change, the other country change, but for that to happen change starts with us, we need to be the change we want to see in the world.’ Zooni Dash enacted an illustration of the application of these values in her own life that enabled her to serve others and her country. 5
Day 3
Attitudes of Exclusion Plenary
Sunday 14
th
Feb
Biren Bhuta
Dr Visier Sanyu
Prof. Gayatri Menon
Head of Social Corporate Responsibility at Tata Steel. India
Political sociologist, Azim Premji University. India
History and a Bachelor degree in Theology. India
Biren spoke about his experience of working with the tribals of Jharkhand. Bhuta emphasized the importance of youth in governance, because ‘they have the ambition and the potential to make a positive change in the world’. ‘The Earth does not belong to Man, Man belongs to the Earth‘, he quoted.
Dr Sanyu moved to Australia 20 years ago where he has specialized in refugee and interfaith work. Dr. Sanyu was the spokesperson for the Asian delegation at the Working Group for Indigenous People at the United Nations, Geneva, in the International Year of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. He believes that with the refugee crisis that the world is facing today, things are going to change. Europe, for instance, will have to rebuild its society, its culture and even its constitutions. ‘We all have to be open to the idea that the exclusion starts with us, from our own thoughts.’ The world will have to reshape their interest and open spaces for others that they did not consider as equals, he said.
Prof. Menon spoke of moving the marginalized, the displaced and refugees towards just governance and working with the citizenship of those groups. Recognition of those rendered dispossessed, recognition of practices that differentiate between visible and invisible groups of people, and recognition of losses concerning the marginalized should be addressed. ‘What we have to stop is thinking that inclusion means to put all these refugees and displaced into our institutions and society. Rather than that is to think how we can build (with those) a community institution, where their voices are listened to, and where there is space for the recognition. It is important to name the injustice and loss as well as violence and exclusion.’
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Visit to Grampari
Pramod Boro
Dr Rita Kothari
President of the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU). India
Author and Professor of Translation Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar. India
Pramod underlined the need to develop a mindset that can deal with issues like refugees, marginalized and displaced persons. It will not be easy, but we can start by being responsible thinkers, solution makers and by building a transparent opinion. ABSU has about 1000 full time volunteers and thousands of part time volunteers working on social projects. After years of unrest he and the union turned away from violence and adopted unanimously to follow the Gandhian non-violence method for a ‘gun-free culture’.
Dr. Kothari highlighted the importance of understanding the roots of different communities in order to understand better the phenomena of border-crossing and migration. She reminded us that there are not only physical borders but also borders in our minds and hearts.
Plenary Moderator
Charles Aquilina
Grampari, IofC’s rural and ecological centre, focuses on rural development around Panchgani through watershed management, organic farming, vocational training, hygiene programmes, livelihood projects involving women and village governance programmes. There were also personal accounts from villagers on how their lives had been changed for the better by Grampari, thanks to the training and the spirit of the Centre. One of the women from a nearby village narrated how she had participated in the women’s livelihood programme for the past five years and was able to confidently supplement her family’s income and educate her children. A farmer told his story of how, through the training, he moved from excessive drinking and fighting to take responsibility within his own family, alter the atmosphere in the village and bring improvements to the village’s infrastructure.
USA
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Day 4
Peace and Reconciliation
th Monday 15 Feb
Plenary
Prof.Mohammed Khalil
Hon.George Justin Achor
Venuri Desilva
Professor of Religious Studies and Law, and the Director of the Muslim Studies Program at Michigan State University. USA
Former Undersecretary in the office of the President, and former Government Coordinator for the National Reconciliation Committee Program. South Sudan
Member of the National Peace Council (NPC). Sri Lanka
Prof. Mohammed Khalil has an innovative approach to take his students, Muslim and non-Muslims, into Mosques to personally engage with the religion, breaking away from media stereotypes.
He has been involved in launching training for peacebuilders from various states in South Sudan. He told of plans to continue these once the new government of national unity administration is in place. He said he has taken a value-centred approach towards reconciliation, encouraging forgiveness and apology. ‘It is our duty for us as individuals to look for ways to correct the wrongs we have done; we must learn from others’ experiences and expertise by asking for help.’
Venuri de Silva of the National Peace Council (NPC) in Sri Lanka discussed initiatives which the NPC runs including interreligious truth forums, war widows’ reconciliation, and encouraging people to share their stories.
The basis of this innovative approach from places of empathy is to create meaningful interactions with each other, by challenging people to go outside their comfort zones and enter into friendship with those different to them, from different backgrounds and cultures – humanity needs to be challenged to take on an attitude of acceptance. He left the audience with the idea that ‘there will be no peace and harmony if one does not recognise the humanity in the other.’ 8
The dialogue that followed addressed extremism, the role of women and youth in peace building, negotiation in conflict and an urgency to create a more compassionate world.
Her expertise in the area of conflict transformation inspired members of the audience to consider her drive, with ‘a need to empathize and think deeply about the work we want to do,’ encouraging us to remain committed, with ‘our work not ending when funding runs out.’
Anand Aithal PhD in Economic Geography. Founder, ‘Pamoja Amani Upendo’. Kenya/India
Anand Aithal is from Mumbai, and lives in Kenya. He started a community based organisation, Pamoja Amani Upendo, using music and art to generate empathy between different ‘tribes of humanity’. He talked about the concept of identity, expressing his belief that race, religion and nation are unhelpful constructs of identity and that every person ‘... should identify as a human being who is part of humanity.’
Plenary Moderator
K Haridas Malaysia
Voices from Sri Lanka The 18 Sri Lankan participants of the Dialogue hosted an evening of music, dance, film and story sharing. Selvi Sachithanandam, who after spending 14 years in London, returned to serve her country, shared her life story after beautifully singing a prayer. She spoke about having interviewed two women who had lost their sons in the war. She, herself a Tamil, said, ‘Their tears weren’t Sinhalese or Tamil. They were tears of mothers who had lost their sons.’ Darmasiri Malawalaarachchi, a Sinhalese, narrated an incident from his school days where 12 of his friends were tortured & killed during the JVP era. As a survivor of that incident, he decided later to become a teacher and use his life to build a society of values and security for all. Seetha Kumari, a Sinhalese whose father and brother were shot on the same day during the conflict narrated the story of a neighbour, a woman who committed suicide, leaving behind her young son, who then became a part of her family. A former Tamil militant leader spoke about how he was transformed some years ago from being a perpetrator of violence to a promoter of peace. Here he decided to go to villages and apologize for his part in the violence. Shashika De Silva, the MC of the evening and a Sinhalese himself, immediately offered to accompany him on this journey.
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Sri Lankan Consultation
Greed Symposium
Do we live in an ‘age’ of greed? Is there a greed epidemic? Is greed a natural phenomenon? Dr Barindra Desai’s brainchild, the Greed Symposium, sparked off an insightful debate, raising more questions than offering solutions. Finding a definition to human greed was problematic, multi-faceted as the phenomenon is. Should the discussion focus on the money perspective or its psychological ramifications, its historical and anthropological origins and its socio-religious implications? These were the questions that got tossed about in the course of the symposium that spanned 6 hours of presentations/discussions over 3 afternoons between the 13th and 16th of February, 2016 at Asia Plateau. Touching on all these different aspects in such a short span of time was, of course, like reaching for the stars. Yet, clearly, what it showed was that the topic is fascinating in every respect, and least not because of its urgent relevance in the 10
world we inhabit today. Is the growth mantra and the trickle-down economy sufficient for human development - is it not time for a seachange in structures that are people-oriented at their core rather than our current profit-motivated values of success, symbolized by Wall Street and free markets? Should not compassion and empathy drive the new socio-political order to reduce the rich versus poor gap? Speakers critiqued Social Darwinism and touched on advances in neuroscience and brain studies to show that the pathology of greed, though inbuilt in the human being, can be molded and tempered to benefit society as a whole rather than the individual alone. Looking into India’s rich and ancient civilizational and spiritual heritage, the question was raised : Would it not be possible for the human being to see Self in the Other and be less greedy, less acquisitive so that human society will not self destruct?
Through the five days of the Dialogue the Sri Lankans and some invitees met to get to know each other, to share their experiences of the Dialogue, and reflect on how they would work together back in Sri Lanka. Although many of them were working through their respective organisations in the areas of reconciliation and rebuilding of Sri Lanka, here they got a chance to know each other as friends and as future teammates. Through sharing of life stories, deeper links were built. Many felt that the ideas of IofC could be the connecting thread for further work in Sri Lanka.
Focused Dialogues
Day 2
Saturday 13
th
Feb
Yvo FitzHerbert, a freelance journalist, who writes for the Sunday Times, UK, and Middle East, UK, shared the experience he had on the Kurdish question. The Kurdish people are the largest ethnic group in the world without a state of their own, spread over four neighbouring countries. He illustrated the struggles which more recently have become even more dramatic since the ISIS attacks. Kurds in the Middle East: a view from Turkey and Syria
FitzHerbert continued: ‘the civilians open up one’s eyes to a whole new world of hope by living the Islamic concept of hospitality and generosity even when they are in situations like this.’ This was a focussed dialogue with Abbas Tyrewala, a Mumbai based scriptwriter and filmmaker famous for his blockbuster directorial debut Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, together with Prof. Rita Kothari, currently working on A Multilingual Nation: A Translation in the Indian Context, and morning dialogue initiator Dr. Ganesh Devy. The session unfolded into a broader discussion on language and identity.
Language and identity
Environment as a community builder with the morning plenary dialogue initiator Himanshu Kulkarni and V. K. Madhavan (Managing Director of Skills Education Private Limited). They elaborated on positive examples of individual responsibility when conserving water or its resources. Dialogue Initiators V. K. Madhavan along with Himanshu Kalkarni, Founder Trustee and Executive Director at ACWADAM, set the purpose of the dialogue to initiating discussion and provoking thoughts as they elaborated on positive examples of individual responsibility when conserving water or its resources. Over the murmurs of the busy translators, Mr. Madhavan brought up the issue of politics of the management of water resources at the community level and how it affects equitability among the members. He pointed out that as much as the traditional methods of water management in villages were efficient, they are an exemplar of an unjust system at its peak because the fine structures separated the lower castes from the rest of the society. To be able to develop sustainably, he added, one must think of using the resources not in terms of individual needs, but in terms of ‘equitability’.
Environment as a community builder 11
Focused Dialogues
Day 3
Sunday 14
th
Feb
The dialogue Working with the Displaced and Dispossessed was anchored by Dr Balasubramaniam (Balu), Suresh and Mala Vazirani. Dr. Balu is a development activist and physician and author. When he was 19, he founded Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM). He has taught at Harvard and Cornell, US and has been a consultant to the World Bank. He has spent 31 years in the service of rural and tribal poor in the forests of India. He distinguished between physical and emotional/cultural displacement reminding the audience that it is not just about relocation, but it is about a loss of cultural identity as people are forced out of their homes. He put a major emphasis on shifting attitudes towards the displaced and dispossessed from ‘tolerance’ to ‘acceptance.’
Working with the Displaced and the Dispossessed
Entrepreneurs Suresh and Mala Vazirani shared their experience of India-Pakistan reconciliation initiatives they are involved in. They described the work they do together for refugees, especially around India-Pakistan reconciliation initiatives, as ‘we are the same people’. Having experienced displacement himself as a child during Partition, Suresh encouraged the participants to help and empower others through implementing positive initiatives.
Ruchi Bhimani, the filmmaker who is working on a campus campaign using a new film on student suicides; Gayatri Menon, a political sociologist, currently working on a book on the lives and histories of pavement dwellers in Mumbai and Pierre Lokeka from East Congo, who works for the marginalized women, street children and refugees facilitated the dialogue. This workshop brought the attention of the participants towards the need of social inclusion, wherein the marginalized are understood, listened to ,and empathized with, by the society at large. Pierre Lokha also shed light on the significance of transforming lives of marginalized to lives of purpose. He shared the story of a marginalized woman in Congo and how she was enabled in a way so that she can help herself. ‘The feeling of being useful to the society changes you’, said Pierre.
Empowering the Marginalized 12
Focused Dialogues
Day 4
th Monday 15 Feb
This dialogue was led by Taras Mykhalniuk, director of the Open Ukraine Foundation, Sherman Garnett, a former Senior Associate at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, specialising in foreign and security policies of Russia, Ukraine and other former USSR states), and Santa Kristina from Latvia, executive director of an environmental NGO, Homos Ecos.
Negotiation,Dialogue and Experience of the Post-Soviet States
Kristina and Mykhalniuk spoke of the history of Latvia and Ukraine respectively. Mykhalniuk spoke about the annexation of Crimea, highlighting that Russia claimed to be fighting the West and its agents in Crimea, rather than fighting Ukraine itself. Santa spoke of the divide between Russian and Latvian speaking communities in Latvia. Making a distinction between governments and peoples, Garnett pleaded: ‘Please do not give up on the Russian people.’ Phil Jeffreys from Australia and Claude Bourdin from France, coordinators of Farmers Dialogues on four continents, initiated the session on the national and international issue of food security and rural development.
Food Security,Rural Development and Just Governance
The session’s intention was to link food security and rural development with just governance and to answer the question of why there is poverty in an area that is crucial for the survival of mankind. Farmer suicide is on the rise in many parts of the world but Bourdin pointed out, the issue has been kept undercover by governments. ‘For just governance, rural development and food security cannot be put aside,’ he said. Lord Pomperado, leader of a Philippines based international youth organization and Mayur Shah, an Indian adventurer and trainer, talked about how to empower young people to take leadership in their communities. The session was largely focussed on experience-sharing about the various initiatives that the participants had taken in contributing to the society and the problems that they had faced in terms of government hindrances, largely. Lord shared his journey from a small-town boy to the leader of an international youth organization, representing world’s youth. Drawing examples from his personal life, Lord talked of how it is extremely important to hold onto the dreams, saying ‘dreams are supposed to be difficult! It’s not easy to reach for our dreams, but we have to keep doing it until we succeed.’
Becoming Inspired Champions for Transformative Governance
Mayur explained how taking the first step is always the most important part, because if one is honest with their effort, the world takes care of everything else. 13
Dayth 2
Workshops
Saturday 13
Feb
The interaction which followed focussed on the conclusion that while the technologies will give us means, ‘until and unless the common man and the authority have an intention to do the right thing, technologies to increase transparency will not be implemented.’
E-Governance - Transparency & Accountability: Tackling Corruption
From Polarization to Participation (INGO Dialogue Tool Kit)
M.C. Verma, a retired Indian Administrative Services officer currently with IofC Centre for Governance (ICCfG), familiarized the audience with the various sources of corruption prevalent in India. Rajiv Sachdeva, Director of ICCfG who served as the Managing Director of Siemens Power Engineering, introduced the concept of Smart Digital Governance. Sachdeva talked about some innovative proposals which have been made to the Government of India by his team. The proposals focus on utilizing available technology to replace administrative intermediary processes, in order to increase transparency. Within the concept of Smart Digital Governance, he introduced measures like (i) Smart Pollution Check System for Vehicles (ii) Intelligent Traffic Signal System (iii) e-Fireworks to reduce air pollution and Electric Hot Spots. 14
Christoph Spreng, Switzerland, IofC representative at the INGO of Council of Europe
Women’s role as Creators of Peace Leena Khatri (India and Fiji), Cheryl Wood (Australia) and Asma Shah (India) introduced the history, the concept and the tools for the ’Creators of Peace’ Circles to about twenty women. This was followed by a film about an African woman who, on finding a way out of her anger and hate of another tribe, became a bridge builder between the two tribes.
Christoph held an interactive introduction to the International NGO’s Dialogue Toolkit aiming to build bridges in situations where there are tensions between minorities and ‘the majority’. The toolkit has taken many of its case studies from IofC. Spreng passionately led people through the course of the dialogue that will help them understand the unsaid and real issues in their own situation and through that making just governance a reality. Participants from the North East of India and from Sri Lanka were particularly interested in the use of the tools for the sensitive situations of their regions. ‘If you want progress, talk about what needs to be talked about, not what everybody else is talking about,’ were the guiding words from Spreng.
Day 3
Workshops
Sunday 14
th
Feb
top demands in Indian citizens’ priority-list are: employment, availability of basic essential services (e.g. drinking water) and good roads. Giles Fitzherbert, former ambassador from the UK to Venezuela and former member of the British Parliament, elaborated on the difference between systems of governance and contrasts in demographics in India and Ireland (the country he comes from).
Pathways & Processes Towards Generating Empathy This workshop with Dr Anand Aithal addressed empathetic interactions between people. Originally from Mumbai, Aithal had been living in Kenya for the past 13 years. He holds a PhD in Economic Geography from the university of Toulouse and had worked with various development and research agencies for the past 18 years including CARE, Khadi and Village Industry, World Agroforestry Centre and the World Food Programme. He is currently involved with a community-based organisation called Pamoja Amani Upendo which uses the language of music and art to generate empathy between different tribes of humanity.
Strengthening The Link Between Good Governance And Democracy The workshop was hosted by Prof. Trilochan Sastry and Giles Fitzherbert.
The audience discussed examples of poor governance practices in India, as well as in Eastern European countries like Moldova and Ukraine The dialogue concluded with the shared conviction that the education and empowerment of citizens is the most essential and effective way of ensuring good governance in a democracy.
Prof. Trilochan Sastry, former dean at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), started the workshop with an elaborate discussion on the unique features of Indian democracy: the huge voter registration, role of caste, demographic heterogeneity, criminalization of politics, urban-rural divide, etc. How is a system of governance supposed to be executed in such a case? He also talked about an extensive survey done by his team, which disclosed that the 15
Workshops
Toolkit to support students and prevent suicides Film maker Ruchi Bhimani introduced and screened parts of a documentary concerning the growing numbers of student suicides. Having presented her project in an earlier session she now asked for input for a toolkit which will accompany screening in universities all over India. The participants shared their experiences and thoughts on how youth depression is dealt with in their respective countries or fields of work. Suggestions of how to support students ranged from setting up anonymous help lines, social media forums, study groups that could also offer emotional support and peer mentorship.
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Day 4
th Monday 15 Feb
Just governance and the delivery of public services The workshop was facilitated by Mr B. K. Taimini, a former judge of National Consumer Court, former Secretary of Food and Public Distribution, and author of three books on food security, poverty and agriculture. Mr Taimini shared his extensive experience by giving an in-depth description on the state of public services provision in the Indian context, the steps that have been taken over the years to improve it and its shortcomings. This initiated a discussion on matters related to consumer rights and governance matters that affect common citizens. Participants from South Sudan brought an interesting perspective by exploring how some of the measures taken in India can be applied to their country.
Musical Evening Mayuree and Leslie held the space for managing the cultural night, which started with the creative music by Leslie, in which everyone joined. It was a fun-filled night, everyone irrespective of their ages joined in dancing, singing, story-telling, jokes etc. Sri-Lankans folk-song added extra color the night. Interns and volunteers presented a skit depicting where the new generation is heading to. Ajay Patel and Dilip Patel also presented a skit, showing that the poor are more willing to share than the rich. The night ended with everyone holding hands, in a way representing JUST GOVERNANCE.
Day 3 & 4
Workshops
th 14-15 Feb
NVC is about learning to be present and see what happens at the moment, discovering self-empathy and acknowledging other people and our own feelings and needs behind. The developer of this language Marshall B Rosenberg has chosen two types of animals to represent two approaches of communication: Jackal and Giraffe.
Non-violent communication (NVC) The workshop was conducted over two days by Chris Rajendram (Trincomalee Campus of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka). He has been delivering training in Nonviolent Communication in Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. The focus was on the basis of NVC. After the introduction of the theory participants shared their own experience and thoughts about NVC approach. NVC is not a new language. Children use it every day: cry and smile and show their real emotions and express their needs clearly. When we grow up we learn to hide our feelings.
Jackal language is related to judgment, diagnoses, aggression and dominance but purpose of Giraffe language is to connect with the other person. Jackal language is always there so time to time we need to have a reminder about the way we communicate.
tion with the other person. This type of language is not about using techniques but about connecting with other people every day and seeing conflict as an opportunity to start a dialogue. After the workshops one of the participants shared: ‘I am encouraged to deal with my feelings more often.’
Giraffe language has four steps: 1. observation; 2. feelings; 3. needs; 4. request. Observation is about ability to hearing and seeing what is there without evaluation, judgment. For connection with other people we need feelings to understand what kinds of needs (physical, psychological etc) are behind the feelings and what kind of strategies do we use to fulfill the needs. Request is a natural way to meet the needs and it gives freedom to other people to say YES or NO but demanding do not allow saying NO. Request is the place where is connec-
Chowk Time A chowk in Hindi means a square on the street. The Chowk time was a relaxed space after a full day of intense dialogues on various topics. Songs and stories from around the world, as well as crowd games gave the participants an opportunity to take part in a multicultural street meeting. 17
An Evening In Conversation Niketu Iralu, Ganesh Devy and Rajmohan Gandhi
and his wife are now doing in Nagaland. Iralu explained: ‘What has helped me in this delicate work is to acknowledge where we have individually gone wrong and act on that. Even if the search for Nagaland peace seems interminable, we need to remember Mahatma Gandhi’s approach “Keep the process clean – and then the outcome will be all right.” At times we are too eager to harvest the fruit from the tree, when it is more urgent to ensure the health of the small sapling.’
Ganesh Devy was asked about two of his life’s works – a 50-volume survey of all the languages of India, and the creation of Adivasi Academy at Tejgadh, Gujarat, a centre to give voice to the indigenous peoples. He spoke of memorable interactions in tribal villages, such as the visit to a poor family where the mother offered him the only food available – one small roti (bread). Initially inquiring what he should it eat with, the woman responded ‘You eat it with the hunger in your belly’. ‘It shattered me like nothing else – they have hunger every day and yet they have even greater humanity. Yet in our arrogance, we think that we can teach them,’ said Devy, obviously still moved. He continued: ‘The real wisdom is with these people – people who are often so tragically neglected.’ 18
He observed how egalitarian these communities are, and often their only assets are the silver bangles they wear and guard to be able to monetize them in an economic crisis. He discovered many paying interest rates as high as 120% on loans, and was able to start successful micro-finance institutions to deal with this unjust situation. Rajmohan Gandhi acknowledged his friend and colleague Niketu Iralu from Nagaland, in Northeast India, as ‘the greatest servant leader he has come across’, and asked him to comment on how he could be away from his beloved Nagaland for decades serving in many parts of India and the world. He then requested Iralu to describe ‘the amazing reconciliation work’ he
Devy then asked Gandhi to comment on sacrifice. Is it in itself a virtue? Gandhi replied: ‘I pray that if the moment comes that some great aim requires ultimate bodily sacrifice, I would be willing to offer it. But what I think that the world requires of me, what the Almighty requires of me, is to sacrifice my ego, pride, selfishness, my self-centeredness. It means the daily saying “no” to one’s desires which conflict with one’s great calling. I also believe that in doing what it is right to do - even if it can be unpleasant at the time - it is fantastically the right thing to do.’ Devy then asked: ‘Can obedience to the inner voice lead you to saying “no” to what is being asked of you? When does it becomes necessary, even a sacred duty, to disobey?’ Gandhi replied: ‘First, one has to check one’s inner motives as completely as possible – do I
want publicity, some fame, or to work off some kind of anger? All these things disqualify a certain path. But if after all checks, all questioning, you are clear that what is being asked of you is wrong, then obedience to the inner voice will mean disobedience.’ Devy was asked what role anger might play in pursuing just causes. He recalled being baffled as a young boy by the story of a Hindu goddess – a tigress struggling with a demon. ‘It was explained to me like this: If you are a coward, you get angry when something happens to you. If you are brave, you get angry when something wrong happens to others. I was a coward as a child, and tried not to be one. So ever since, when something bad happens to someone else, I try to turn it into constructive action for a good cause.’
Harvesting the dialogue and closing session After a reflection in the outdoors with nature, introduced by Prof. Mohammad Khalid, the final morning was used to ‘harvest the dialogue’. In self-organized working groups on the topics they were most concerned about, the participants worked on the next steps after the Dialogue. Among the topics chosen were: •Service: How to make civil servants and politicians serve the people (Convener Taras Mykalniuk, Ukraine) •Continuing the Dialogue on Just Governance on the specific theme of food security and agricultural development (Conveners Phil Jeffreys, Australia and Claude Bourdin, France)
Gandhi, asked if he concurred with this, added:
•Give a ‘voice to the voiceless’ - refugees and marginalized (Convener Rob Wood, Australia)
‘It is very easy for anger to turn into hatred. Anger against injustice can turn into anger against individuals, and I do not give hatred of individuals any positive value.’
•How to deal with extremism -- (Convener Mifthul Huda, Indonesia)
Gandhi left the audience with a thought which had recently kept coming to him: ‘Every person I run into is a very important person. As I believe in listening to my inner voice, I need to be reminded in my daily morning time – as overnight my human nature takes over – of the pricelessness of every human being.’
•Visible, symbolic or dramatic actions to enhance the process of reconciliation and healing in South Sudan (Convener Hon. Abdon Agaw, South Sudan) •Threats to ecology and environment: towards a Common Green Cause (Convener Jorulf Brøvig Silde, Norway) Each group then reported on some of the immediate actions they were going to take. Most of them created an email group to follow each others progress and feed in further thoughts. The communication team’s video of compiled photographs then took the participants back on a brief journey of the five-day experience. To conclude these days together all were given the chance to share their discoveries, new decisions and learning from the Dialogue. 19
Initiatives of Change is a world-wide movement of people of diverse cultures and backgrounds, who are committed to the transformation of society through changes in human motives and behaviour, starting with their own. Vision A just, peaceful and sustainable world to which everyone, responding to the call of conscience, makes their unique contribution. Mission To inspire, equip and connect people to address world needs, starting with themselves.
Funding for the Dialogue on Just Governance 2016 The Just Governance organizing team is extremely grateful the incredible support we received for this Dialogue. Sixty per cent of accommodation funding came from the Sylvia Zuber Fund, the rest was self funded or covered by Asia Plateau. Ten per cent of participant travel was funded by Transasia. The Greed Symposium was funded by Dr Barin Desai which covered flights as well as stay of the participants and the separate report that will come out specifically for the symposium. All other travel for participants was self-funded. CREDITS Editing: Anushka Rao, Ashley Muller, Igor Ene, James, Santa Kristina, Sunny
Focus Areas Trustbuilding: Peace and social cohesion by building trust and reconciliation across divides. Ethical Leadership: Good governance at every level by developing a leadership culture based on moral integrity, compassion and selfless service. Sustainable living: Economic justice and environmental sustainability by inspiring transformation of motives and behaviour. Approach IofC focuses on the link between personal change and global change. Its approach involves: Starting with oneself: An honest look at one’s own motives and behaviour is often the starting point for personal transformation. Listening to others: With its intergenerational, multicultural and interreligious diversity, IofC enables honest conversations in an open spirit, building bridges of trust and community between people of similar, different, and even antagonistic, backgrounds. Taking focused action: IofC’s people and programmes work for peace and social cohesion by building trust and reconciliation across divides; for good governance at every level by developing a leadership culture based on moral integrity, compassion and selfless service; and for economic justice and environmental sustainability by inspiring transformation of motives and behaviour. Recognizing that it will take more than human reason and ability to solve the problems of the world, IofC places the search for inner wisdom at the heart of its approach. When people listen to what is deepest in their hearts, insights often come which lead in unexpected directions. While some understand this experience as divine guidance and others see it as the leading of conscience, many find that the regular practice of silence can give access to a source of truth, renewal, inspiration and empowerment. www.iofc.org
Reporting: Asma, Aakansh, Anjali Sharma, Bhavya Bhagtani, Eunsoo, Geetanjali Gurlhosur, Lorena, Shyam Mohan, Stephania Menzes, Thuguri, Zooni Dash
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