NEWSLETTER December 2020 LOKAYAT - forum for new world! Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious by the daughters and sons of the soil. As we write this, lakhs of peasants – men, women, youth and children – are camping at entry points to the country's capital, demanding the scrapping of the three farm legislations recently imposed on the country by the Modi Government. It has been some time since the country has witnessed such an inspiring challenge to the policies of the rulers. It is especially inspiring because it is organized around demands which are not just of the peasantry, but of all the working people. The Modi Government, which began by fortifying the city as if against an invading army, has been compelled to change its stance and call them for unconditional talks! Although it is obvious that negotiations are, for this regime, a mere tactic, an attempt to buy time and wear out the protestors, a climbdown by the Centre, with Home Minister Amit Shah himself leading the negotiations, is in itself a significant victory for the peasant agitation. The movement has gained widespread support nationwide. People have been organizing protests across the country in support of the peasants. We are also trying to do our bit and that has been the main thrust of our activities in the final month of this year which has ended on such an inspiring note. In addition, our activities against caste discrimination, gender inequality and communalism also continued. The following is a brief report of Lokayat's activities in December 2020. Programs organized Against Farm Bills 8 December: Shetkari Bachao Morcha (Save Farmers Protest) Public protest in support of ongoing Farmer's movement 
In response to the call by struggling farmers to observe 8th December as a national day of protest, the leader of Rickshaw Panchayat, Nitin Pawar, and Lokayat took the initiative to bring together all the non-BJP parties and we together organised a huge protest at Alka Talkies Chowk in the heart of the city. More than a thousand people gathered. Series of campaigns against farm laws in Pune city 
The epic struggle of farmers at the Delhi border against the anti-farmer, anti-people farm laws that will threaten the very food security of our country needs to be supported by all the people of India. But in thus age of “godi”-media, a large number of people are not even aware of the issue. To create public awareness about the just nature of the farmers' demands, we carried out a series of campaigns in various slums in the city. We are holding small public meetings – with sufficient distancing and other precautions. In these meetings we discuss the stated and implied provisions and consequences of the new farm laws. We are also carrying out low key street campaigns in groups of four. We are appealing to people to sign and send postcards to the PM, demanding withdrawal of the anti-farmer laws. So far we have held nine such public campaigns and one online campaign. The most heartening experience has been the participation of locals, many of whom were acquainted with us during the struggle against CAA-NRC. They have understood the issue so well that not only did they organize discussions in their localities, they also gave excellent speeches. One more step towards a strong and vibrant democracy! Participation in farmers' protest at Singhu and Tikri border, Delhi 
A team of seven activists from Pune spent a week at the borders of Delhi, in solidarity with the struggling farmers. Our activists participated in the daily rallies, interacted with farmers from around the country there, distributed our pamphlets supporting their struggle, exchanged ideas with various youth groups, volunteered in the langars, sang songs and also interacted with some of the key representatives of farmers. All in all, we experienced first-hand the fellowship, the collective spirit and solidarity that the farmers have built. This gave us a glimpse of what a socialist society can potentially be. This spirit warmed the Delhi winter and eased the hardship of the protest. Programs organized by Abhivyakti 13 December: Discussion on Love Jihad 
The non-issue of so-called Love Jihad is now being officially used by the BJP government in UP (and subsequently MP and Haryana) to terrorize and subjugate the Muslim minority on the one hand, and restrict the freedom and rights of women on the other. It also serves as a means to divert attention from the more important issues facing people, such as the worsening economic crisis, unemployment, and the anti-people laws being passed by the Modi Government. Abhivyakti organized an online talk on zoom to discuss the facts and myths of this problem and the politics behind it. The youth reject this fiction and want freedom to live and love as human beings, as was evidenced by the views expressed by the 50+ people who logged in to listen and took part in a lively discussion. We hope to organize more such discussions, hopefully on the streets. Various online campaigns We organized a social media campaign "Love Azad" (Freedom of Love) in which people shared their posters carrying message on love beyond the barriers of caste and religion. 
On the occasion of Manusmriti Dahan Diwas, 25 December, we organized a social media campaign in which people shared their posters to condemn casteist patriarchal law of Manusmriti. 
5 December: Webinar on Gender Equality We conducted a webinar on the issue of Gender Equality for college students. It was conducted by our activists and was attended by 100+ students and faculty. 26 December: Talk on Gender Equality We conducted a talk on the issue of Gender Equality for Bachat Gat women. The talk was conducted by our activist Alka Joshi and was attended by 50+ women. Programs organized by Kafila 6 December: Programs in memory of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar on his Mahaparinirvan 
To remember our icons, we do not believe in indulging in hero-worship, but rather in reviving their spirit and ideas. To this end, our cultural team organized a program of Bheem-Geet, putting forth Babasaheb’s thoughts in the present context, combinex with the ever relevant songs of Annabhau Sathe and Sambhaji Bhagat. Four performances of this were carried out in the city in association with Bheem Chhava organization and local citizens’ clubs. Christmas is about fellowship among all people and solidarity with the poor and compassion for the suffering. On Christmas Day, for the last several years, we have been organizing street programs to spread this message. It also serves as a means of celebrating our diverse and syncretic culture. This year our team conducted a roving campaign on FC road – singing carols and spreading the message of fraternity amongst people of all religions. 25 December: Celebration of Christmas 
Campaigns 25 December: Todu Jatichya Bedya (Breaking Caste Chains) 
As the Modi Government accelerates its neoliberal policies, along with it, caste violence and discrimination are also intensifying. Along with creating awareness and mobilizing people against the anti-people economic policies of the Modi Government, we also need to create awareness amongst people about the need to break caste, and become human beings - only then can genuine fraternity be built amongst people. And so, among our many activities, we have also started a public campaign “Todu Jatichya Bedya” –– Breaking Caste Chains. As a part of this campaign, on 25th December, the day when Babasaheb Ambedkar burnt the Manusmriti, we organized a public dialogue with people on the issue of caste at Goodluck Chowk in Pune. Our activists carried placards and distributed pamphlets exposing institutionalized casteism and had a conversation with passers by. A few people even clicked selfies with our placards. Programs organized in Pune Slums Struggle for PDS grain Our work of organising people living in the slums to ensure provision of PDS rations to all those entitled to it continues. Following the initial application made by us to the ration officials, finally, after much follow up, they replied seeking more details. Our activists and residents of Indiranagar slum collected all relevant details of those who have not received rations and submitted them to the concerned officials. It is basically a system not oriented towards serving the people, and so takes months for ensuring provision of the most basic needs of the people. 30 December: New Ration Cards for Fire Victims 
After wrangling with the bureaucracy for eight months, we managed to get ration cards of sixteen families re-issued by the government. These families are among those who lost their houses and everything in a fierce fire that ravaged the Wadarwadi slum in March 2020. These cards were distributed to the families in a small ceremony organised by residents. We are now following up the applications for some more families in the same predicament. Collaboration with Rikshaw Panchayat 15 December: Sunrise to sunset protest of rikshaw drivers in Pune 
Rickshaw drivers in Pune, under the leadership of Dr. Baba Adhav and Nitin Pawar, have been agitating for compensation for losses caused by the lockdown and for a slew of other livelihood related demands. In continuation of the these protests, they organized a day long fast outside collector office, Pune. Our activists participated in this fast to express their solidarity with the auto-rickshaw drivers. Collaboration with FFF Pune Our participation in the environmental movement, as part of the FFF collective continues. We participated in a signature campaign to save the hills of Pune and lent our support to the Boycott Adani campaign called by environmental groups nationwide. New on YouTube Impact of Farm laws on us (Part 1: Essential Commodities Act) Impact of Farm laws on us (Part 2: Contract Farming) Impact of Farm laws on us (Part 3: Scrapping of APMC) Hanan Mollah, Gen. Secretary, AIKS @Singhu Border, Delhi Gulab Singh, Cultural Activist, AIKS @Singhu Border, Delhi Simransingh Sandhu, Journalist, Akhar @Singhu Border, Delhi 
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Lokayat is group of Social Activists based in Pune. We work on organizing people for various social, political, economic and environmental issues.
