All the photos shared with this text capture the glimpses of the programme organised by PWA, Gujarat in Sardar Vallabh bhai Patel auditorium situated in the Sardar Vallabh bhai Patel memorial building on January 03, 2024. Sardar Patel lived in this house when he was the Mayor of Ahmedabad in pre independence period. Later, her daughter, Maniben stayed in this house . She gave this property to a trust. Now on the ground floor there is Sardar Patel Museum (pics below, taken by Vineet Tiwari) and on the first floor there is auditorium.
The programme was chaired by Saroop ben Dhruv (Presidium member of PWA and Sahitya Academy Awardee), convened by Ramsagar Singh Parihar (Gen. Secretary of PWA, Gujarat). Trade unionist Com. Ashim Roy (from Chemical Mazdoor Panchayat) was present on the dias as special guest. Left and Ambedkarite literary and cultural activists, trade union members from AITUC, CMP and INTUC attended and participated in the programme.
Nisar Ali, Huzeifa, Nattu and his team members sang revolutionary songs. Prof. Ishwar Singh and Bhanu bhai recited their poems in Gujarati and Hindi.
Vineet Tiwari described the motive of the yatra and the experiences gained so far from various states. He said that where ever we went, people welcomed our thoughts and agreed with us on the necessity of love, humanity and compassion. He said that recently in Madhya Pradesh, we met around 5000 people. Just three of them abused us with hatred and disgust. It means that love prevails dominantly in the hearts of common people, not the hatred. Hate has a very negligible presence. He said that love is the in built value of living beings, not hatred. If you show love to a new born baby or to even a puppy, it will respond with love and happiness. Humans learn to hate only after the exposure to the society where also most people are living in love, not in hatred.
Saroop ben recalled the good old days of valiant struggles put up by the young men and women of Gujarat. She said that this yatra gives us hope and reassurance that if the need is there, people are also there to respond.
Ramsagar Singh Parihar stressed upon the need to do this yatra in Gujarat and also shared the plan of Gujarat yatra. He said that sometimes cultural activities become more effective in reaching out to the people than other forms.
Ashim Roy said that Gujarat is wrongly projected as the gone case. There are ample potential available in Gujarat. It is true that communal forces have succeeded in widening the gaps between the two main communities but there are many places in Gujarat where they didn’t succeed. More such yatras are the need of the hour. Enthused from the atmosphere of the programme, Shri Pathan of INTUC sang a song of Sahir Ludhiyanavi – Tu Hindu Banega na Musalman banega… The audience appreciated it very much. Kartar Singh of PWA, Gujarat played an important role in organising this programme at Sardar Patel auditorium.
- Report by Vineet Tiwari