EVENT

Bringing down the barriers - the Gujarat carnage five years on

25 February 2007

A discussion meeting in Birmingham, organised by South Asian Alliance and Cultivasian, with speakers from India, to discuss the events in Gujarat in February 2002, which led to the death of over 2,000 people.

On 27 February 2002, a train containing Hindu pilgrims caught fire whilst leaving Godhra station in Gujarat, India. A sequence of events starting the very next day led to an explosion of widespread ethnic violence primarily directed at Muslims. By some estimates, over 2,000 people died and around 200,000 people were internally displaced. Human rights organisations have severely criticised the state government, which has been accused of complicity in the violence, and exploiting the situation for political gain in view of up-coming elections.

Since this horrific event, people from all religious backgrounds have strived to restore their lives to normality. Despite this, parts of Gujarat remain deeply segregated along religious lines. This discussion event aims to re-examine the Gujarat Carnage and explore what the episode can tell us about the following:

What has religion and power politics got to do with violent identity struggles?
Multiculturalism: is it a melting or boiling pot?
How can people from different cultural, faith and non-religious backgrounds deal with outbursts of violence together?
Can the Gujarat episode tell us anything about the riots in Lozells, Oldham and Bradford?

This event will take place at:

Sunday, 25 February 2007, 2.30pm-5pm
Moseley Community Development Trust, above the Moseley Post Office Building, 149-153 Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8JP.

Speakers:

Ram Puniyani, from Mumbai, is a leading commentator on communal/ethnic violence, globalisation, the rise of fundamentalism, and has authored several books around these issues. He is also actively involved in initiatives promoting communal harmony and understanding.
Parita Mukta's interests centre on deprivation and suffering in the developing world; the erosion of the politics of hope; and the rise of Hindu authoritarianism in India and within the British Indian community. Based at Warwick University, her recent book 'Shards of Memory: woven lives in four generations' came second in the Institute of Historical Research's History Prize, 2002.
Arun Kundnani, of the Institute of Race Relations, is deputy editor of the journal Race & Class.

Short excerpts from the multi-award winning documentary film 'Final Solution', by Rakesh Sharma, will also be shown.

This is a free event but we do have a registration process in place to monitor numbers. Please confirm attendance by emailing confirm@southasianalliance.org with attendee names.

For more information, phone 07970 679725 or email enquiries@southasianalliance.org

Events listing is provided for information only. Inclusion in this listing should not be taken to imply that the Institute of Race Relations supports an event or is involved in organising it.

Bringing down the barriers - the Gujarat carnage five years on

25 February 2007

A discussion meeting in Birmingham, organised by South Asian Alliance and Cultivasian, with speakers from India, to discuss the events in Gujarat in February 2002, which led to the death of over 2,000 people.

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