[Mitai-announce] Reminder: talk on human rights in Chhattisgarh tonight!

[Leonid Chindelevitch]

*Association For India's Development (AID)
MIT & Boston Chapters present***

*Reporting a black hole** :*

*A journalist's experiences from Chhattisgarh in Central Tribal India*

A talk by *Shubhranshu **Choudhary*, founder CGnet (a community news
platform dealing with Chhattisgarh issues).

The talk will be preceded by a screening of the documentary film, titled
?India's Hidden War,? made in 2007 by a team of which Shubhranshu was a part
and screened in a program called Unreported World on Channel 4 in the UK.

*Where*: MIT, 2-105

*When*: Fri Jun 18, 7:00pm

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=116789721699343

Chhattisgarh state in central India is a mineral-rich area populated largely
by several tribes (called *adivasis*). Recently, especially after the Indian
government's neo-liberal reforms in 1991, the region has been in the news
for a heated battle between the left-wing Maoist forces (also called
Naxalites) and the state. The Maoists claim they are fighting for tribal
rights and their right to the natural resources of the area. The confrontation
between the Maoists and the state has resulted in increased violence and
militarization and more importantly, abuse of human rights of the tribals.

*Shubhranshu Choudhary* is a former BBC South Asia producer. After working
outside India for more than 20 years, when he returned home, Chhattisgarh
was no more a quiet heaven he had left behind but had turned into "India's
gravest internal security threat". He will talk about his findings about
this transformation and about possible solutions. As a Knight International
Journalism fellow Shubhranshu took part in developing the world's first
radio network over mobile phones which he considers an important part in
addressing some of the problems the world faces today.

*Association for India's Development** **(AID) is a volunteer movement
committed to promoting sustainable, equitable, and just development. In
solidarity with non-violent people's struggles, AID supports grassroots
organizations in India and initiates efforts in various interconnected
spheres such as education, livelihoods, natural resources, health, women's
empowerment, and social justice.***

*For more about **AID**: **www.aidindia.org* <http://www.aidindia.org/>

*For more about **AID-Boston**: **www.aidboston.org*
-- 
Please take action for justice in Bhopal and reclaim democracy. Send a fax to
the Indian PM and let him know how you feel. http://action.bhopal.net/fax.php
Please note that I do not read email or take calls between 9 AM and 9 PM.
If you need to get in touch with me, please send me a short text message.