The launch of a GROW Campaign for a hunger free world

Oxfam’s campaign on food justice, Grow, was  launched in six cities simultaneously – Delhi, Lucknow, Patna, Guwahati. Hyderabad and Mumbai. on June 1.  There was a press conference and launch of Grow exhibition in the morning and creative expressions of hunger in the evening including the launch of a specially composed theme song for the occasion.  Forgotten snacks were also served in almost all the launches

Through the press conference in six cities, we reached out to more than 300 journalists with widespread coverage of the ``Growing a better future’’ report, launch of Grow campaign and the evening program. Four celebrities and a lot of senior Government officials, partners and community members extended their support to the campaign.       

Actor and Oxam ambassador Rahul Bose, who participated in the launch in Delhi said the number of people going without food is rising in India, making "hunger" one of the gravest issues in the country.

"The number of hungry  people in other countries have decreased but in India the situation is opposite. In 1991 there were eight and a half crore hungry people in our country and today we have 25 crores hungry people,"  Rahul said, adding : ``Our world is capable of feeding all of humanity yet one in seven of us are hungry today, its because we have stopped respecting the rights of poor people." .

Rahul also expressed concern over the increasing malnutrition in the country."When the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of India is increasing at the rate of eight per cent why is it that malnutrition has decreased by only one per cent," he said.

'Eminent producer director Muzafar Ali, lent his support to the campaign in Lucknow, ' ''I am really concerned about the lack of development of the people, who need to be taken care off. '' Presently, there is only a one-sided development,'' he said

Mr Ali said the number of hungry people in the world has passed the billion mark for the first time in history. ''One in four of the world's billion hungry people live in India. Despite doubling the size of it economy between 1990 and 2005, the number of hungry people in India increased by 65 million - more than the population of France - because economic development excluded the rural poor and social protection schemes failed to reach them,'' he added.

Renowned Film and Television actor Mr. Aanjjan Srivastav, who lent support to the launch in Patna, said “it is very disheartening that even after 65 years of independence, we are still facing such alarming levels of poverty and injustice in this country. Unless we ensure that the poor are provided with adequate social protection by the government, the lives of the poor will remain the same.”

Smriti Z Irani, a well known TV actress and a social activist launched the international manifesto and the 10 Indian asks to the media in Mumbai. She told media that “It’s time that we take up the fight on hunger for the farmers who give us food on our plates not leave the problem for them to fight alone.”

She also insisted that “all citizens should take up the cause to bring change and not just let only NGOs, activists and media to fight or support the issues.”

Her concern was that “as a mother, I want to see that my future generation does not suffer.”

In the evening, the launch was superbly attended in  all the six cities.  More than 1300 people attended the launch in Hyderabad while in Delhi, Patna and Lucknow and Guwahati, an average of 300 odd people attended. The launch was in the form of an exhibition in Guwahati, where people trickled in throughout the day to see the ``Grow’’ exhibition.

The highlight of the creative expressions in all the centres was the launch of the theme song, Roti Roothi by   Sandeep Shrivastav. This was performed live in Delhi with six musicians taking to the stage while in Lucknow Biswajeeta Tripathi, an Odissi dancer, performed to the tune of the haunting melody.

Mushaira, a renowned form of poetry rendering in Lucknow was a big draw while hunger readings in Delhi  brought out the pain of hunger through the verses of poets from across the country – Keki Daruwalla,  Jayant Mahapatra, etc. 

Folk dances were a draw in almost all cities where it was enacted – whether it was the Lambadi tribal dance in Hyderabad or the Rasjathani Jogia mandali in Delhi.

MUMBAI

The theme song by Sandeep Srivastav was presented with a beautiful audio-visual depiction of the situation faced by the farmers in rural India.

Naman, a dance troupe from Alibag performed a short dance drama to depict some of the problems faced by farmers in the villages.

Lok Seva Kala Sanch of Talegoan in Jalna, a folk media group who has been raising awareness about various issues in and around their village for the past 25 years, presented a very entertaining look at the issue of women farmers in the villages across India, the right of every farmer to food and the importance of nature in everybody’s life.

The photo exhibition was open to the public throughout the duration of the show which was followed by traditional food from the state. The event was attended by approx 150 people from partner agencies, community members and a few donors.

DELHI

The highlight of the Delhi launch was the live rendition of the theme song Roti Roothi by Sandeep Shrivastav followed by hunger readings by poets from across the country. One of the poems dealt with the changing definitions of poverty and povertyline while the situation does not change for the common  man.  Another poem talked about how hunger deaths have just become statistics and nobody is stirred or moved by starvation or death.

The Rajasthani Jogia Mandali used their rich folk tradition to create awareness about water and the earth’s natural resources and how they need to be preserved. There was another song which talked about the work being done by women farmers.

A woman farmer, Lalla, from Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh took centre stage during the launch and talked about how she is fighting for equal rights of women as a farmer. She said she ploughs in the field as a farmer but had to face a lot of opposition in acquiring this as a matter of right.

Two songs on the Bengal famine by Sumangala Damodaran touched a chord in terms of how hunger is an age-old issue. A guitar performance by Susmit Sen in tribute to farm women was a fitting finale to the evening.

The Grow exhibition was a big draw to the visitors who also got to savour raagi idlis and pumpkin halwa as part of the forgotten food menu.              

PATNA

In Patna, puppetry as a medium was used creatively to raise awareness on hunger issues. After the powerful theme play the artists performed a number of Hindi songs on hunger and poverty. The songs which had thought-provoking lyrics on people’s rights, right to food security and rising prices left the participants deeply influenced..

The songs were followed by a second live performance from the Puppetry Group from West Champaran District of Bihar.  This was a longer performance and focused on chronic hunger and the plight of unequal food and resource distribution.

The day long GROW Campaign launch in Patna concluded with a peaceful candle light march in the evening with the participation of more than 350 people. The march commenced from the launch venue (Bihar Chamber of Commerce) culminated at the Mahatma Gandhi Statue located inside the historical Gandhi Maidan after covering a distance of little over 3 kilometers.

The march passed through Magdah Mahila College, St. Xavier’s High School and the official residence of Patna’s District Magistrate. In the past, the Maidan has witnessed the launch of several movements during the Indian freedom struggle – the most important being the Champaran movement and the Quit India movement of 1942. The Maidan has also been witnessing some of the most credible social and movements in the post Independence India.

GUWAHATI

In Guwahati, the exhibition on ``Grow’’ was used effectively to create a dialogue on hunger  and other associated issues which the campaign deals with – land grabs, climate change and food price crisis.

Inaugurating the GROW Exhibition at the ITA Art Gallery, Bhaskar Barua, Former Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India said: “Oxfam’s GROW Campaign is timely and a welcome intervention amidst issues of food security and climate change which are becoming an increasing challenge to manage. Oxfam’s campaign needs immediate attention by the government, civil society organisations and the media as a whole in Assam.

“There are issues of ‘food sovereignty’ which has not been given much attention. It doesn’t imply a legal sovereignty though in a sense it talks about food production, planning and distribution at the village level. It should be left to the village what crop to produce at an integrated way. However, we should also keep in mind that not all crops can grow everywhere, but ‘food sovereignty’ is a concept which deals with food insecurity at the village level. It gives ownership to the village farmer and the benefits would be available at the local level. Moreover, its ecological impact would be lessened,”  Mr. Barua  added. .   

HYDERABAD

Hyderabad celebrated its launch with its more than 1300 community members. The launch was inaugurated by Sri. Manikya Vara Prasad, Minister for Rural Development, Govt of A.P by unveiling the GROW logo and lighting up the lamp.

Dr. Rama Melkote, Advisor to the Supreme Court on the Right to Food case and K. Sajaya, activist, documentary film maker and founder Citizen Care Collective also graced the occasion.

The launch was full of hustle and bustle with community members’ colorful rendition of issues of food and hunger through their performances like folk music, tribal dances and short plays. The community members also added color with exhibition stalls filled with ethnic food items, forest produce, colorful handloom materials and terrace gardens.

LUCKNOW

The mushaira, which was the USP of the launch here, had 17 poets participating in an event which went uptil midnight, Talking about the theme,  Sarvat Jamal, one of the poets participating in the Mushaira said “bas kuch din kheti bhi kissa ho jaye, kheti aur kisani par bhi likhenge”.  ( I'ts fine that your appetite has increased , but what happens to our hunger?)

He further said “ye theek hai ki apki khurak badh gayi, lekin humare muh ka niwala kahan gaya”.  (you have got a subject to write, but what happens to our hunger?) 

Another one said , Humne khuda ke bare mein use kiya sawal, usne diya jawab ki roti nahi mili” ( I asked him about God, he said we do not get bread to eat)

The moment Dr. Rahat Indori, star of the mushaira, known for his distinct style and presentation, came to recite his poetry, audience and his fans greeted him with standing ovation. He said “tajalliyon ko naya daayra banaane me, mere charagh lage hain hawa banana mein

Ade the zid pe ki sooraj bana ke chodenge, paseene choot gaye ek diya banane mein”. 

A photo Exhibition was also inaugurated by Muzaffar Ali in Lucknow. It involved  theme related photographs by Oxfam and also some photos on food and hunger taken by slum children. The children were trained in a photography workshop organized by Oxfam India and facilitated by Ehtisham Husain. Participants were also awarded  a certificate and a token of appreciation by by the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, B. L.Joshi,  Muzaffar Ali, Meera Ali,  and Suresho Saini, a woman farmer.