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Date: Mar 24, 2005
Time: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Venue: Apnalaya Centre, Gilder Lane Municipal School, Mumbai 400008
Organizations Represented: 16
No. of Participants: 19
Resource persons:
- Ms. Jayashree Janardan: Learning Network
Ms. Swati Tambe: Play for Peace
Ms. Feruzan Mehta: Seeds of Peace
Dr. Ram Puniyani
Ms Simantini Dhuru, Ms. Deepa Balsavar, Ms Deepa Hari, Ms. Manisha Naik: Avehi-Abacus
Ms. Jayashree Janardhan, representing the Learning Network, first spoke about the need to reflect on the issue and then about the work being done in various parts of India by The Learning Network – a network of groups, individuals and educationists committed to fostering holistic education.
While discussing the need to ‘rethink conflict’, she pointed out that the traditional ways of dealing with conflict - physically or verbally - do not lead to resolution, but only to frustration among the people involved Brain research in the last two decades has provided clear evidence that alternative ways of resolving conflict with the use of effective communication skills are possible. It is possible for us to help children become self-confident, compassionate adults who can cherish diversity, leading to peaceful societies.
There is a need to help children make sense of their life experiences so as to impact their intra-personal and inter-personal skills. Conversation with children helps them reflect on and make sense of their experiences. This contributes to a state of emotional well being and the development of balanced individuals.
At times something bothers us and acts as a 'trigger' for action. The way we respond to that trigger depends on intra- and inter-personal intelligence. Specific tools exist which can help us understand what is happening to us and how to resolve it.
The media today play a major role in perpetuating certain images of different kinds of people, often leading to prejudice against certain groups. It is therefore is very important to dialogue with children about what is portrayed in the media; this will also develop their analytical skills.
Ms Janardhan then referred to one of the tools that could be used for conflict resolution. Developed by Marshall Rosenberg, Non Violent Communication is a process of communication that helps us stay compassionate and human even under trying circumstances. It has four components - Observation, Feelings, Need and Request. Observation regarding concrete actions affecting our well being (without any moral judgment), the feeling in relation to what we are observing, our needs regarding the same and concrete actions we request in order to enrich our lives. This involves both expressing ourselves and receiving empathically.
After the presentation there was an interaction session where the participants expressed the need to further explore this issue and discuss various tools that could be used in conflict resolution, by conducting an in-depth workshop.
The second presentation was by Ms Shweta Tambe from Play for Peace, which believes that new thoughts and ideas can be introduced and values instilled amongst children through play/games. Conflict is an inherent part of our lives. Everyone deals with conflict in a different manner. Some are confrontational, while others surrender. It thus becomes necessary to reflect on the causes of conflict. Inter-personal communication is a tool through which the reflection becomes easier. For children, play/games are the most common form of interaction; hence their use as tools to resolve conflict and encourage dialogue. The games most often used are non-competitive and participatory. The organization has trained volunteers to conduct these games and provide inputs in effective handling of conflict situations.
Ms. Tambe then conducted a few games to illustrate the method of intervention used by the organization. These were games where everyone could participate. After conducting a few games she stressed the need for interaction within the group involved in the games. This would enable the mediator to find out if there were any conflict situations and how the group handled them. Suggestions could then be discussed for further effective handling/resolution of conflict.
The third presentation was by Seeds of Peace The organization was initiated in 2001 and involves adolescent children and youth. Camps are organized where youngsters from countries that are in conflict situations (including at war) participate and share their views. The camps are rigorous and of long duration and the interaction encourages children to look at different perspectives regarding various issues. They also help in removing myths and misconceptions and understanding others better. The skills that develop during the process are listening, observing, analyzing and self- expression. The youngsters who have attended the camps in turn conduct discussions, workshops with other students and groups.
The two young volunteers who made the presentation were themselves a live example of the impact of the process mentioned above. Their lively sharing left no doubt about the positive effect of the process on their personalities.
The presentation ended with an activity. The participants were divided into 3 groups and asked to mime a conflict situation at home, in the workplace, and in the community. The other groups then had to identify the details of the conflict situation. After the presentation of mimes by all the three groups, Ms. Feruzan Mehta spoke briefly about how other people could suggest concrete measures to deal with conflict.
After the lunch break, the Avehi-Abacus presentation began with a game. Each participant was given a balloon and asked to blow it. The participants then helped themselves to a pin each from a box placed in front of them. It was announced that anyone with a balloon intact at the end of 3 minutes would be the winner of the game. Soon after the game began, noises of balloons being burst could be heard. While some participants tried hard to save their balloons, some tried to burst others' balloons. A few participants sat quietly in a corner, away from this frantic activity. At the end of the allotted time 7-8 people managed to save their balloons.
The game was followed by a discussion on what had happened and why. Ms. Manisha Naik summed up the discussion by pointing out that the participants had taken a pin voluntarily and had used it the way they wanted to (as a weapon). Hardly anyone had realized that if they had not attacked one another, then all of them could have saved their balloons and thus 'won' the game! The same scenario is evident in society today where people use violent means to resolve conflicts, forgetting that everyone becomes a 'loser' in the process. As Gandhiji had said, ‘An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind’. The need is to find alternative ways to resolve conflict and to understand others' points of view.
Ms Simantini Dhuru then spoke about the work being done by the Avehi-Abacus project in the municipal schools of G (South) and G (North) wards in Mumbai and 120 zilla parishad schools in Yavatmal and Chandrapur districts of Maharashtra. The Sangati series developed by the project is a series of 6 teaching-learning kits with inter-linked themes for Std V, VI and VII.
Kit 1- ‘Myself,My body and Our Needs’ (Std V)
Kit 2- ‘Our earth and the web of life’ (Std V)
Kit 3- ‘How societies developed’ (Std VI)
Kit 4- ‘The way we live’ (Std VI)
Kit 5- ‘Understanding change’ (Std VII)
Kit 6- ‘Preparing for our future’ (Std VII)
The contents of these kits not only supplement the regular curriculum but also focus on issues which are never discussed in formal schools but which are intrinsic to our daily lives -- issues such as gender, caste discrimination, communalism, war, economic disparities, stereotypes, etc. The methodology used in the kits – discussions, games, group work – encourages students to think, analyze, express their views openly.
A few of the activities from different Sangati kits were presented briefly by Ms. Deepa Balsavar and Ms. Deepa Hari. The first was a story of gender discrimination and the conflict between the wishes of an adolescent girl who wants to study further and her father who wants to marry her off to a boy who is less educated than her but is economically independent. The second presentation focused on the conflict of values in a a young boy's mind. His grandmother has told him not to eat or drink anything at the home of one of his friends who is of a 'low' caste. The boy loves and respects his grandmother but does not know what to do when he is offered a glass of water by his friend one day when he is tired and thirsty. In both these situations, children in class are asked to express their opinions on the issue and to help the characters in these stories to resolve the conflicts. This helps them to analyze different points of view and to understand that it is not always easy to resolve such conflicts, but that it is important to find ways of doing so.
The third presentation dealt with a conflict of interests on a larger issue. Children are divided into three groups, each representing a different interest in a given situation. They are then asked to present their points of view and together find a way to resolve the conflict. The situation is as follows : A plot near a high-rise building was reserved for a playground by the Municipal Corporation 20 years ago. No playground was built, and now a slum colony, housing hundreds of people, has come up in the same area. The residents of the high-rise building are now demanding that the Municipal Corporation demolish the slum and build a playground as per the original plans.
While sharing her experiences of this activity, the resource person emphasized the fact that children do come up with original ideas and find solutions which take into account the interests of all concerned – for example, constructing a building for accommodating the slum dwellers and a playground for all the children in the locality in the remaining space. Thus one needs to have faith in children and encourage them further to resolve conflicts in an amicable and just manner.
The final presentation of the day was by Dr Ram Puniyani. He shared his experiences of working on the issue of communalism. This effort was initiated after the 1992-93 riots. Over the years, he has had the opportunity to interact with a cross-section of groups like teachers and college students – people from both Pakistan and India. He spoke of the strong link between communalism and politics. According to him the incidents of terrorism or communal violence are a mere tip of the iceberg, reflecting the role of politics in raising issues that are of no importance while ignoring crucial issues such as denial of access to basic rights. The war of hatred often targets women and the down-trodden. The attacks on minorities - Christians, Muslims, Sikhs - are meant to cover up the inhuman practices and inherent discrimination that exist in Indian society today.
Dr Puniyani gave illustrations from history where religious motives are ascribed to kings who were actually interested in amassing wealth – for example, the attack by Mahmud Ghazni on Somnath was not meant to spread his religion but to plunder the wealth of Somnath in order to increase his own wealth and power. The fact that he traveled thousands of kilometers to Somnath and did not destroy any temples on the way is not given a thought by those who see this invasion as an attack on Hinduism.
As opposed to this communal vision, Dr Puniyani quoted Sane Guruji who gave a real meaning to religion: ‘The only true religion is giving love to/loving the entire world’ He cited several examples of traditions in temples and mosques in various parts of our country which demonstrate respect and tolerance towards other religions. He pointed out that diversity is an inherent part of life which needs to be acknowledged and that exchange of ideas and traditions has taken place throughout history. For example, the most popular food item in Mumbai today, something that we consider our own, is the Vada Pav – but few of us realize that bread first came to India from Afghanistan, potatoes from Spain and chillies from other part of the world.
Summing up his presentation, Dr Puniyani expressed the need to create awareness on these issues through the media and to reach out to various groups in order to move towards peaceful resolution of conflicts in our society.
The workshop ended with written feedback from participants. Most of them appreciated the relevance of the topic and felt that it was necessary to conduct such workshops with teachers and children’s groups. Some participants suggested that all presentations should be made in Hindi so that they would be understood by everyone.