Hiral Sarvaiya - Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai

Description: An intern's account of an innovative effort in Ajmer called SFD (School for Democracy)

During the summer internship I took up this year with MKSS (acronym for Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan), I got an opportunity to visit and work with ‘School for Democracy’, which is the brainchild of Aruna Roy, one of the people responsible for the enactment of the Right to Information Act in 2005.

Located a few kilometres from Bhim (located in Ajmer district of Rajasthan), on my first visit to the ‘Loktantra Shala’, as they call it locally, I assumed it might be just another place for some sort of research, frequented by intellectuals. But gradually, I discovered the uniqueness of the place. The campus has three-four buildings consisting of the main sabha hall, the library, a training hall, dining hall, and residential facilities. The main sabha hall is symbolic, in terms of its architecture. It’s made in a manner that no one individual occupies primacy in the meetings. Meetings there are more of a dialogue process, ensuring participation from everyone, which is one of the many important features of a democracy.

During my conversations with Aruna Roy, I could actually understand what went into the making of this School. On one of her many visits overseas, she came across this concept of folk schools. Folk schools in Dutch countries were created to bring awareness among the general public about various democratic processes. She has tried replicating the same here in Bhim. The school follows the philosophy of Gandhi, Ambedkar and Marx. They target the local people around and beyond, especially the youth, and make them aware of the democratic processes and their rights, hoping that this would lead to the deepening of democracy by helping them make informed choices. 

I was lucky enough to be a part of two events that were conducted there. One was a vyakhyan (lecture) on democracy, interestingly titled ‘sansad ka ek khamba maine bhi uthaya hain’. The event was a tribute to Mohanba, late member of MKSS who, though illiterate, played an active role in the democracy by being instrumental in bringing policies like RTI, NREGA.

In the Vyakhyan, what was very different was that they did not call some political scientist or some minister to speak on democracy. Instead, they called speakers like Naurtibai, who is the Sarpanch of Harmada village and Sushilabai, who is a social activist in that area. They were not only good speakers but they also brought along stories of extraordinary courage shown by ordinary people. These ladies had an element of continuity in the face of enormous change they brought about and witnessed in life. There was a striking amount of modesty present in both of them. They were still one among the crowd and yet so different. They also happened to be invited by the UN to release a report on women studies.

They spoke with such poise and confidence, narrating their life stories, their struggle as well as their fight towards a better society. They are actually one of the pillars of democracy -- common people working in the system making an effort to actually make it work. The sabha made an excellent example of the common man using this platform for deliberation, discussion and not making the parliament the sole domain for the above. It also showed how policies, when provided with a stimulus from the grassroots level, become more participatory.

I also attended a three day training programme for the youth in the vicinity, aged 18 to 30, on Constitution and Democracy. The training programme was titled “Loktantra ki aur ek safar”. The trainees were a heterogeneous crowd, consisting of people like young school and college students, masons, daily wage labourers and even teachers etc.

The sessions began with the discussion on constitution, primarily the Preamble, the Fundamental Rights etc. In order to make it more participative and link it to their everyday life, an innovative exercise was taken up. The participants were asked about the problems around them back in their village and link it to the fundamental rights. This session led to how the youth perceive their surroundings and how a little awareness about the various provisions can equip them to deal with it in a better way. Issues like child marriage, drunken beating to land problems and several other livelihood issues came up during the session. They confidently gave a presentation later on with the conclusion that awareness of provisions of the constitution can not only make them aware but also enable them to help others.

The last day of the training programme mainly consisted of awareness about various important legislations like RTI, NREGA etc. The Rajasthan government has passed a very innovative Act called the right to hearing act, Sunwai Ka Haq. The procedural nitty-gritties were instructed to them. Nothing was more rewarding to me as an individual than teaching the trainees how to fill RTI Applications. I felt like I contributed to something, though minimal. While I was teaching them how to file an RTI, they raised several issues on which they always wanted information and how RTI had become a tool for it now.

Aruna Roy also threw light on the future endeavours of School for Democracy, wherein such training sessions will continue and the lecture series as mentioned above can be conducted elsewhere too. It could be a gram panchayat or a school hall or some university premises. The lectures will be under the banner of School for Democracy.

Apart from this, it was an amazing experience to work with Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Bhanwar Meghwanshi and Shankar Mama. They function in a very democratic manner, which shows that they practise what they preach.

Now-a-days, where social media has started playing key roles in influencing opinions across the country, it’s necessary that initiatives like School for Democracy are encouraged. It may help in not only bringing awareness but also spark a flame of interest among the youth in national as well as local politics, to make our democracy more inclusive.

This exposure to School for Democracy greatly broadened my understanding of thought, however minimal this effort may sound in terms of its scale. But, its impact in the times to come will definitely set a precedent for more such schools to come up in the country.