In September 2014, two Kairos Center and Poverty Initiative leaders were invited to an international youth training on non-violence hosted by Ekta Parishad. Read about that training and this powerful organization of the poor.
Ekta Parishad (Unity Forum) is a people’s movement dedicated to the principles of non-violent action for social reform in India that will give the poorest peoples control over livelihood resources, especially land, water and forest. It is a federation of approximately 11,000 community based organizations and hundreds of thousands of members in 12 Indian States. The movement is known for its mass land marches (see the video below) such as the one in October 2102 which saw some 100,000 people march 350 kilometers from Gwalior to Delhi, demanding and winning an historic agreement from the government on land reform.
[aesop_video align=”center” src=”youtube” id=”d4jbS7Fg8C0″ caption=”Trailer for the documentary ‘Millions Can Walk'” loop=”on” autoplay=”on” controls=”on” viewstart=”on” viewend=”on”]
In an interview recorded at the April 2014 convening of the ESCR-Net Social Movements Working Group in Peru, two of the leading activists in Ekta Parishad- Rajagopal, P.V and Jill Carr-Harris, trace the remarkable history of the movement.
[aesop_audio src=”https://kairoscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/EktaParashadInterviewClip.mp3″ loop=”off” viewstart=”off” viewend=”off” hidden=”off”]
Check out these photos from the Millions Can Walk documentary.
Here are the lyrics to the song that you can hear at the beginning and end of the interview, first in Hindi and then in English:
Jai Jagat, Jai jagat
Jai jagat Pukaare jaa
Jai jagat Pukaare jaa
Sir Aman Pe vaare ja
Sab ke het ke vaste
Apne sukh Bisaare Ja
Victory to the World!
March on with the slogan
Victory to the whole world
Let us offer everything
At the altar of peace
Let us stake our happiness
For the good of all
Let Peace prevail
Let everyone love everyone
Let the whole world be the winner
Why should anyone be a loser
All laws be based on justice
May all enjoy equal right
Let land belong to all,
Even as the sky belongs to all
Throw away differences of colour
Break the barriers of religion
Let the bond of love
Among mankind be immortal
May the winds of peace
Engulf the world
May the world rejoice
May the darkness of hatred give way
To the dawn of friendship