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AN OPEN
LETTER TO SIT CHIEF SHRI R.K.RAGHAVAN
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Dear Shri R.K. Raghavan,
We have been reading these
days every day about your ‘clean chit’ to Shri Narendra
Modi, the Gujarat Chief Minister about his
responsibility about the Gujarat riots of 2002 in
general and about the Ahsan Jafri brutal murder in
Gulbarg Society, in particular. The Supreme Court had
appointed you as chief of Special Investigation Team
(SIT) putting full trust in your impartiality and
integrity.
We also put full trust in
you and were sure that your investigation will throw
full light on the happenings of Gujarat riots and we
will be able to judge, through your investigation, what
is right and what is wrong. However, your investigations
have raised storm of controversy and it is also
surprising that you have given differing reports one in
2010 and another final closure report in 2012 finally
giving ‘clean chit’ to Shri Narendra Modi.
Read full letter>>
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Release of Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer’s Autobiography
in Delhi
Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer’s
autobiography A
Living Faith: My Quest for Peace, Harmony and Social
Change was
released in New Delhi on 20th July 2011
by Vice President of India Shri Hamid Ansari. Shri
Hamid Ansari praised Dr.
 Engineer’s
courage and his struggle against priesthood in his
own community. He likened him to Espinoza (16th
century rationalist philosopher from Holland) and
described him as modern day Espinoza. Espinoza,
Hamid Ansari Saheb said, was also excommunicated
because he fought against orthodoxy in his own
religion and Dr. Engineer also has been
excommunicated by priesthood of his own community.
He also said autobiographies are of two types one in
which the author projects his larger than life image
and praises his achievements very high. The other
type depicts mental and spiritual development. Dr.
Engineer’s autobiography is of second type.
Read full report>>>
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Community workshop on
Awareness CREATION and Capacity Building of Women
22 April 2012, B.K.S. School,
Manikpur, Vasai West.
In collaboration with the Vasai-Virar Committee of
the All India Democratic Women’s Association, the
Centre for Study of Society and Secularism organized
one day community workshop on ‘Awareness Creation
and Capacity Building of
 Women’
on 22 April 2012 at the B.K.S. School premises in
Manikpur, Vasai West. Stand Points of Gender
Equality was the theme for the Workshop.
Of the 40 participants of the workshop, 35 were
women and 5 men from Vasai-Virar area. The
participants comprised house-wives, working women,
and social activists etc. Mr. Riyas V.M, Programme
Executive of the CSSS facilitated and conducted the
proceedings of the workshop.
Read full report>>
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National
Seminar on Challenges to Women Empowerment: Role of
State, Religion and Good Governance
 The
Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai
organised a 2-day National Seminar on Challenges to
Women Empowerment: Role of State, Religion and Good
Governance on 16-17 March 2012, 2012 in
collaboration with SVKM’s Pravin Gandhi College of
Law, Vile Parle West,
Mumbai.
The
seminars were organised with support from the ICSSR
(Western Region, Mumbai) and Ford Foundation.
Read full report>>
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National workshop on
'awareness
creation and capacity building of women
'
10th & 11th March 2012, Varanasi, u.p.
 The
workshop began with the welcome speech by Dr. Muniza
Khan. Dr. Dipak Malik, Honorary Director, Gandhian
Institute of Studies gave the introductory speech
thereafter. He explained the rationale and objectives of
the workshop.
The first session on ‘Women’s Movement in India’ was
chaired by Mr. Sunil Sahasrabudhey. In his introductory
speech he focussed on the need for social change towards
a gender just society and how to go about it. The
resource person in this session, Ms. Meera Dutt gave a
detailed picture of women’s movements across the world
and India, its strengths and weaknesses. In her lecture
she covered the areas such as women’s wings in political
parties, caste conflict and women, role of women in
civil society movements ete.
read
full report>>>
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inter-collegiate workshop on
youth sensitisation and AWARENESS FOR
‘peace and communal harmony’
17th to 19th February 2012
The venue of the workshop was at
Lonar Village of Nagpur District, which is almost 12
km away
 from
Nagpur City. The participants and the resource
persons for the first day of the camp reached the
venue on 09.30 am in the morning itself.
Participants were MSW students from various colleges
around Nagpur.
The first two sessions were by Dr. Asghar Ali
Engineer on ‘Religion and Culture’ and ‘Cultural
Diversity in India’. Starting with question
regarding religion, culture, how they are
differentiated Dr. Engineer elaborated the topic
with examples from cultural practices in India. The
objective of the session was to sensitise the
participants regarding the difference between
culture and religions, which is often mixed and
misused by communal politicians to create conflicts
in the society. The session was live with number of
questions from the participants.
Read
Full report>>
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Youth camp on peace & conflict resolution: problems
and consequences
Date: 21 to 23 January 2012
A 3-day workshop was organised by the CSSS on
peace & conflict resolution:
problems and
 consequences
for college students. The
participants were the students of Sathaye college
along with their Professor Ms.Girija. They were
accommodated in the hostel of Sarvodaya, St.Pius
Bio-Medical Ethic Centre, Goregaon East, Mumbai.
They were supplied reading materials on the subject.
After registration of the participants, Ms. Minal
Mhatre and Riyas V M of the CSSS gave a brief
introduction about the rationale and objective of
the workshop, along with some ice breaking
activities. The participants were divided into three
groups and responsibility for ‘daily report’ and
bringing out a ‘newspaper’ on each day’s activities
were entrusted to them.
Read
Full Report>>
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Police
workshop,
on Sensitisation of Police Force for promoting communal
harmony and national integration
17-18 January 2012
 The CSSS organised a 2-day workshop on
‘Sensitisation of Police Force for promoting Communal
Harmony and National Integration” on 17-18 January 2012,
at the SVP National Police Academy, Hyderabad. The event
was coordinated by COVA, Hyderabad. There were as many
as 189 participants, including 159 trainee-officers of
the Academy and serving officers of the IAS and IPS from
Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan
States. A list of participants is attached.
The
workshop was inaugurated by Vibhuti Narain Rai, IPS,
Vice Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi
University, Wardha (Maharashtra). Following the welcome
address by the Director, SVP Academy..Read
more>>
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TOT for Social Activists and NGOs at
Warangal and Kurnool Andhra
Pradesh on 22nd and 23rd
December 2011 on ‘Promotion of
Communal Harmony, Peace and development”
CSSS
conducted a Training of Trainers for Social Activists
and NGOs at Warangal on
 22nd
December 2011 on Promotion of Communal Harmony, Peace
and Development jointly with COVA, Hyderabad.
Expressing concern on the present
political trends of communal politics, dividing people
on caste, religion and region for selfish interests by
the politicians; the speakers emphasized on promotion of
better relations between people of different communities
and faiths. The speakers said that political leaders are
using the mask of religion and caste and exploiting the
society, cheating people, and creating differences
between people. The speakers were giving training (ToT)
to the members from NGO’s Students, and Social
Activists. They said that in the veil of religion
political leaders are stopping people from reaching to
the fruits of development and they are coming in to
power in the areas which are in disturbance. Dr. Asghar
Ali Engineer was Chief Resource Person at the ToT along
with other speaker viz. Dr. Mazher Hussain, Executive
Director, COVA and Mr. Narasimha Murthy, Principal,
Wagdevi MBA College. Mr. Mohammed Raoof coordinated for
this ToT.Read
More>>>
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SEMINAR ON STATE, RELIGION AND WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT
The Centre for Study of Society and Secularism organised
a one-day National Seminar on State, Religion and
Women’s Empowerment on 17 December 2011, in
collaboration with the Institute of Indian Culture,
Mumbai at the latter’s seminar hall in Andheri.
The Concept
 The
principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian
Constitution, which not only grants equality to women,
but also empowers the State to adopt measures of
positive discrimination in favor of women. Empowerment
is one of the key factors in determining the success of
development in the status and position of women in the
society; for it is the women who hold the key to
long-lasting social change in communities.
It is the society’s moral, social and constitutional
responsibility to ensure women’s progress by providing
them with equal rights and opportunities. Today women
have made substantial progress in every walk of life by
dint of their hard work and sincerity. More and more
corporate houses prefer hiring women for better and
result-oriented performance...Read
full report>>
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Two-day
Workshop on awareness creation and capacity building of
Muslim women, 1-2 December 2011, Ahmedabad.
The CSSS
organised a 2-day workshop at Pastoral Centre, St.
Xavier’s School, Indira Bridge, Ahmedabadon 1-2 December
2011 in collaboration with Ahmedabad-based
 NGOs
Janvikas Manch, Niswan, and Aman Samudaya. Mr. U. Hozefa
of Janvikas Manch acted as the coordinator.
This is the
third workshop organised in Ahmedabad since November
2010, targeting Muslim women who have suffered immensely
during the 2002 communal violence in the State. The
intention was to make sure that the Muslim families have
derived benefit from the last two workshops and made
progress in accessing the benefits available under the
PM’s new 15-point programme. Have they also picked up
the courage to face the Mullahs and Moulavis in case
they feel that the advice tendered by them is wrong and
is against the rights granted to Muslim women under the
Quran? Are they seeking the assistance of the local NGOs
for getting their problems solved? Do they still
entertain any doubts?
Read full
report>>
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Meeting on communal
violence and targeted Bill
A meeting was held by Jnana Prabodhini,
Pune on 11th December 2011 on communal
violence and targeted Bill. There were about 200 people
in the meeting. Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, Chairman,
Centre for Study of Society and Secularism explained the
background in which the bill was framed
 and
he also threw detailed lights on the purpose with the
bill i.e. to prevent communal violence, to fix
responsibility in the event of communal violence
breaking out and to determine compensation to be paid to
those who died and to work out recompense for the
properties destroyed and to ensure relief and
rehabilitation of the victims. This bill became
necessary after Gujarat riots in which Government, the
Administration and police were complicit. The
presentation was followed by number of questions and
many alleged that it was anti-Hindus bill. Dr. Engineer
tried to allay their fear and said it is neither
anti-Hindu nor anti-other community, but it is anti
those who perpetrate violence, loot and destroy and
those who provoke violence. After lunch there was
discussion as to how to ensure riot free India. In this
discussion Mr. Arvind Bal, Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, Mr.
Mukadam, Mr. A Rajan and several others took part and
certain concrete suggestions were made. Dr. Engineer
suggested that this discussion is inadequate therefore a
separate discussion needs to be organized on this
subject.
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5-DAY
YOUTH CAMP ON
AWARENESS CREATION AND
SENSITIZATION
FOR PEACE AND CONFLICT
RESOLUTION
The
CSSS organised a 5-day workshop on ‘Peace and Conflict’
resolution for youth from 15 November to 19 November
2011 at the
Bio-Medical Ethic Centre, St. Pius
College, Goregaon (E),
 Mumbai,
for Awareness Creation and Sensitisation of Youth on
Peace and Conflict Resolution.
40 students from Kamala Mehta College,
Bal Bharati College, DAV College of Mumbai and MSS
Institute of Social Work, Nagpur. participated in the
workshop. The objective of the workshop was to sensitise
the youth on various social issues like Communalism,
Ethnic violence, Gender-based violence, civil society
movement etc. The participants selected were either from
the National Service Scheme or students of Social Work,
with basic interest to learn about social issues and
work in the society. Resource persons were academicians
and social activists from Mumbai and Bangalore.
Read
Full Report>>
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Community Workshop
The
CSSS organised a community workshop at Kherwadi jointly
with Committee for the Right to Housing (CRH) a
Mumbai-based NGO, for the benefit of families li ving
in Kherwadi, an urban slum in Bandra. The women living
in the Kherwadi slum belong to all religions and are
forced to work, either from their homes or outside their
homes, to supplement the family income. No
government-sponsored poverty alleviation programme has
touched the lives of these women. Poor and illiterate,
the women have been found to have no knowledge of the
avenues
available for earning a decent minimum wage for the hard
work that they put in. The workshop was therefore aimed
at capacity building and awareness creation among the
women so that they know the worth of their work, improve
their income and do not get cheated.
Read full
report>>
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Youth Sensitizing
and Awareness Workshop
Center for Study of Society
and Secularism had organized a three day camp on ‘Youth
Sensitizing and Awareness’. 53 under graduates from DAV
College Bhandup
 had
participated in the camp at Sarvodaya, St Pius College
Campus, Goregoan (E), Mumbai on 13th to 15th September
2011.
The aim of the camp was to make
youth aware about their rights and duties towards civil
society. CSSS had invited renowned resource person from
different institutes to deliver their thoughts to
students on various topic. Mr. Riyas and Ms. Minal from
Research Dept coordinated entire youth camp.
Read full report
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Read
more
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CSSS-brochure!!
Institute of
Islamic Studies
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