Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Sep 29: The Holy Trinity Capuchin Province of Karnataka under the Commission for Justice Peace and Ecology organized a five days social action seminar on the theme “Rights Based Approach to Empower the Powerless” in two different venues viz., at Kripalaya, Mysore and in Darshan Institute of Theology, Bangalore recently.
Fr Vincent G Furtado OFM Capuchin, the provincial minister, inaugurated the seminar in Mysore. In his inaugural speech he said, “The great philosopher of the 20th century Martin Heidegger has affirmed that man is a being who is thrown into the world, hence he is a being –in-the-world. What sort of world he is in? He is in the world inhabited by people of all hues. He has to interact with all these hence his being is a being –with. The basic principle that guides him in his relationship with others is the concept of right-his own rights and the rights of the others with whom he is related. St Francis of Assisi also affirmed that at least in the brotherhood or fraternity he founded there should be total equality. Higher your position greater will be your rights, lower the position greater will be your powerlessness, and valuelessness as a human being. Higher your position greater will be your might, and greater will be your power to affirm might is right. Therefore, you need to join your associates to propagate and proclaim, strive and struggle to defend, protect and safeguard the rights,” he added.
Fr Jossy Fernandes OFM Capuchin, in his inaugural speech in Bangalore said, “We all are powerful in our own ways. Therefore we cannot say that I am powerless. Powerlessness is something denied. When our rights are denied then we become powerless. We should fight for our rights. Right is might and might is not right. Therefore our approach to the poor should be at the reflectional level which leads to action and it will lead to change.”
Fr Chetan Lobo OFM Capuchin, the chair person of the commission said that, “God has created us in his own image and likeness. But we have categorized people into rich and poor. Poverty is considered as powerlessness. Therefore our role will be empowering the powerless by mobilizing them to fight for their rights. We cannot mobilize and empower people unless and until we make some sacrifice to be with the people.”
Roy David who works for the empowerment of the adivasis (tribes) highlighted the situation of adivasis and their forced displacement in the name of development, destroying the very roots of their survival.
Anita Cheria, the director of Open Space said that the basis of human rights is that all human beings have the right to life with dignity at all times. These are unalienable rights resting on persons simply by virtue of being human.
Sudir, an ex-army officer, presently a social activist said that self-esteem and self-confidence are the two wings of human life. They are essential to build the personality of human being. There are two kinds of powerlessness in the individual. The first one is physical powerlessness which is known as the low self esteem and low confidence. The other one is the economical powerlessness. The known fact is the dalits are generally powerless but they have self esteem and self confidence. Freedoms are rights not given but they are fought and demanded. You cannot demand freedom without self-esteem and self-confidence. You need to promote their self-esteem and self-confidence. When people are empowered in these two areas then they speak about their rights.
Dr Ruth Manorama, a well-known social activist in Bangalore addressing the gathering said that the social action is the action which you do not know what action it would take. We can make the people powerful only by mobilizing them to fight for their rights. Therefore our approach should be bottom up approach and not the top down approach. In social action you do not have any agenda but they themselves are the agenda. We fight with the people for their rights and not for their needs. She also reiterated the ideology of Dr B R Ambedkar in fighting for the rights of the powerless viz., education, agitation and organization.
The executive secretary of the commission Fr Vinod Mascarenhas anchored the entire seminar.