Skip to main content

Grassroots leaders from across India join forces for peace and social justice

By A Representative
 
A nationwide campaign titled “Together for Tranquillity” has been launched to bring activists, organisations, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ communities, Tribals, Dalits, and grassroots networks across India onto a single platform committed to peace, equality, and collective action. The initiative aims to build a support and vigilance network working toward a world free of violence, hatred, and conflict, while strengthening efforts to safeguard the planet.
A national online programme marked the formal launch of the campaign on November 14, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Representatives from women’s groups, child rights organisations, disability collectives, LGBTQIA+ networks, and Tribal and Dalit communities participated in the event, calling for renewed efforts toward peacebuilding and social justice.
The programme featured 36 speakers from 24 states and Union Territories and brought together more than 350 grassroots leaders, activists, networks, and organisations. Speakers highlighted persistent challenges faced by women’s movements globally, noting that entrenched patriarchy and gender inequality continue to limit women’s participation in decision-making across many countries.
Participants drew attention to rising violence and discrimination against women, children, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ communities, often rooted in gender, caste, religious, and social biases. They also discussed the deepening impact of conflict and humanitarian crises on marginalised groups in regions including Manipur, Kashmir, Ladakh, Assam, Gaza, and Ukraine.
Discussions underlined the need to view peacebuilding through the lens of gender rights, socio-economic and political realities, and the growing threats posed by climate change. Speakers also explored the intersections of peace, sexual and reproductive health and rights, environmental vulnerabilities, and identity-based discrimination.
Grassroots representatives from across the country shared lived experiences of violence, displacement, stigma, and climate-related challenges, reinforcing the campaign’s call for urgent, collective response.
The event concluded with a national pledge for unity, peace, environmental protection, and a future free from hatred, war, and discrimination. Organisers said the shared energy and solidarity demonstrated during the programme would drive continued advocacy and collaboration under the Together for Tranquillity campaign.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Anyone who is active for peace should also take a look at the findings of peace research. "Peace Mainstreaming" by Franz Jedlicka seems to be an inclusive approach which also considers psychological peace factors. Best regards, Aurelia

TRENDING

NYT: RSS 'infiltrates' institutions, 'drives' religious divide under Modi's leadership

By Jag Jivan   A comprehensive New York Times investigation published on December 26, 2025, chronicles the rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — characterized as a far-right Hindu nationalist organization — from a shadowy group founded in 1925 to the world's largest right-wing force, marking its centenary in 2025 with unprecedented influence and mainstream acceptance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who joined the RSS as a young boy and later became a full-time campaigner before being deputized to its political wing in the 1980s, delivered his strongest public tribute to the group in his August 2025 Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort , he called the RSS a "giant river" with dozens of streams touching every aspect of Indian life, praising its "service, dedication, organization, and unmatched discipline." The report describes how the RSS has deeply infiltrated India's institutions — government, courts, police, media, and academia — ...

From colonial mercantilism to Hindutva: New book on the making of power in Gujarat

By Rajiv Shah  Professor Ghanshyam Shah ’s latest book, “ Caste-Class Hegemony and State Power: A Study of Gujarat Politics ”, published by Routledge , is penned by one of Gujarat ’s most respected chroniclers, drawing on decades of fieldwork in the state. It seeks to dissect how caste and class factors overlap to perpetuate the hegemony of upper strata in an ostensibly democratic polity. The book probes the dominance of two main political parties in Gujarat—the Indian National Congress and the BJP—arguing that both have sustained capitalist growth while reinforcing Brahmanic hierarchies.

ArcelorMittal faces global scrutiny for retreat from green steel, job cuts, and environmental violations

By  Jag Jivan    ArcelorMittal is facing mounting criticism after cancelling or delaying nearly all of its major green steel projects across Europe, citing an “unsupportive policy environment” from the European Union . The company has shelved projects in Germany , Belgium , and France , while leaving the future of its Spanish decarbonisation plan uncertain. The decision comes as global unions warn that more than 5,500 jobs are at risk across its operations, including 4,000 in South Africa , 1,400 in Europe, and 160 in Canada .

Domestic vote-bank politics 'behind official solidarity' with Bangladeshi Hindus

By Sandeep Pandey, Faisal Khan  The Indian government has registered a protest with Bangladesh over the mob lynching of two Hindus—Deepu Chandra Das in Mymensingh and Amrit Mandal in Rajbari. In its communication, the government cited a report by the Association of Hindus, Buddhists and Christian Unity Council, which claims that more than 2,900 incidents of killings, arson, and land encroachments targeting minorities have taken place since the interim government assumed power in Bangladesh. 

Gig workers’ strike halts platforms, union submits demands to Labour Ministry

By A Representative   India’s gig economy witnessed an partial disruption on December 31, 2025, as a large number of delivery workers, app-based service providers, and freelancers across the country participated in a nationwide strike called by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU). The strike, which followed days of coordinated protests, shut down major platforms including Zomato , Swiggy , Blinkit , Zepto , Flipkart , and BigBasket in several areas.

2025 was not just a bad year—it was a moral failure, it normalised crisis

By Atanu Roy*  The clock has struck midnight. 2025 has passed, and 2026 has arrived. Firecrackers were already bursting in celebration. If this is merely a ritual, like Deepavali, there is little to comment on. Otherwise, I find 2025 to have been a dismal year, weighed down by relentless odds—perhaps the worst year I have personally witnessed.

Dalit woman student’s death sparks allegations of institutional neglect in Himachal college

By A Representative   A Dalit rights organisation has alleged severe caste- and gender-based institutional violence leading to the death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman student at Government Degree College, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, and has demanded arrests, resignations, and an independent inquiry into the case.

The instrument of oppression and liberation: A new look at the flute in Hindi poetry

By Ravi Ranjan*  The intellectual revolution brought about by structuralism in the mid-twentieth century fundamentally altered the way scholars approached literature, language, anthropology, and culture. At its core lay the conviction that all human expressions—whether linguistic, mythic, or literary—are organized by deep, underlying structures that reflect universal patterns of the human mind. 

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...