SwaRaj
Student Programmes 2005
In 2004, Samanvaya conceptualised and organised a 2-month long week-end
course based on Hind Swaraj. Titled 'SwaRaj',
the course was on understanding and initiating social action, for
young individuals having serious questions about India, the way
societies function today and the development scenario.
The programme generated numerous interactions and much dialogue
with students, scholars, teachers, activists, educationists, NGOs,
social workers, friends and well-wishers from within India and across
the world. In response to the feedback from this interaction, Samanvaya
now designs and conducts regular SwaRaj programmes and events. The
SwaRaj programmes are offered to educational institutions as a one-time
orientation programme, or integrated into their curriculum, and
to development organisations as part of their organisational learning
process.
I SwaRaj workshop 'Orientation to Village Development Work',
NSS students, Nazareth College, Avadi
Samanvaya conducted a half-day programme for the NSS staff and students
of the college who are in the process of defining their rural development
programme in the neighbourhood villages. The programme was facilitated
by the management and the NSS coordinator in the college. The highly
interactive workshop highlighted the issues before a village, including
its strengths and weaknesses, as well as the limitations of the
understanding amongst the student community, in interpreting and
understanding the village situation. A completely interactive session
with exercises designed based on the framework of Swaraj, this programme
is to be followed by further interaction programmes with the students
of this college all through 2005.
II SwaRaj workshop 'Catalysing Development', Post graduate diploma
students of Centre for Social Initiative and Management, Chennai
Samanvaya conducted a 3-day SwaRaj workshop for these students aspiring
to be social entrepreneurs, as an orientation to their academic
pursuit. The workshop took the participants through a phased out
process of understanding development work in India and how to determine
their role based on their interests, through lectures, interactive
presentations and analyses, group discussions and Question/Answer
sessions.
III SwaRaj Lecture 'Applying Gandhian Thinking as a Student',
First Year students of Hindu College, Pattabhiram
A 1 ½ hour presentation and talk by Samanvaya on Gandhian
thoughts in student life was organised at Hindu college, for over
1000 first year students as a precursor to more intensive, detailed
SwaRaj programmes later in the year.