[act-ma] MIT Talk Fri 6/18: A journalist's experiences from Chhattisgarh in central India

[umang kumar]

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 [http://whereis.mit.edu/?go=2]

182 Memorial Drive

Cambridge, MA 02139

When: Fri Jun 18, 7:00pm

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

For more about AID-Boston: www.aidboston.org

About CGnet: http://www.cgnet.in/