Gandhi and Gram Swaraj

Gandhi and Gram Swaraj: Reflections on Gandhian Ideology

Dates for Conference: 19th-20th December 2009

Dr. Adhya Bharti Saxena is Professor and Head of Department of History, Faculty of Arts, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Gujarat, India. She specializes in urban history in South Asia and working on the themes of rural-urban continuum. One of the founding members of Rural South Asia Network, Dr. Saxena has published her research articles in various national and international journals and also shared her researches in various national and international platforms.

Venue: Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
The objective of the conference is to understand the concept of Gram Swaraj propounded by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi, throughout his life experimented with Truth and he further emphasized on the necessity to make the villages self reliant and promote the well being of these villages. The village as a social entity and unit of society has traversed several passages of human development. Wherein, various dimensions pertaining to economy and cultural has changed. However, in the changed world scenario villages and their existence is further questioned and often in pessimistic attitude it is believed that they will loose their entity with changing times. How far such speculations are correct or could lead to vanishing of the concept such as model village or Gram Swaraj would be the major thrust of the two day conference on 19th-20th December 2009.
The conference will be an initiative to understand and cope up with the modern challenges to the thriving villages. Villages are the harbingers of the indigenous culture and heritage, within themselves they comprise innumerous legacy of knowledge and well being.

1) Themes on which papers to be presented
2) Gandhi and Gram-Swaraj (Village Emancipation), A Theoretical Framework
3) Gram Swaraj: As Visualised in Globalised World
4) Globalisation and Challenges to Village: Education and Economic Self Reliance?
5) Health in Villages: Challenges of the Globalised World

*Those persons who are interested and would like to share their thoughts must contact at the following address:Sudarshan Foundation Trust
Director: Adhya Bharti Saxena
Conference Coordinator: Bina Sengar
e-mail: sudarshanfoundation@gmail.com