Aditya Bastola

Models of Development by Aditya Bastola The concept of "development" cuts across many levels. It refers to macro issues (such as patterns of a nation's growth), as much as it refers to meso problems (such as river-basin plans), or to micro problems (such as local community development). All three levels are interwoven. The conceptual understanding discussed in this paper is of macro level issues related to Development through a dominant paradigm. Development practice is not new. As said by Gustavo Esteva (1992); for two-third of the people on earth, this positive meaning of the word “development” is a reminder of what they are not. It is a reminder of an undesirable, undignified condition. To escape from it, they need to be enslaved to other’s experiences and dreams. Development practice dates back to the European colonies, when colonizers enforced a "civilized," ordered, white, male, Christian ethic. Development theory, however, came along much later, emergin...

The World AIDS Day celebration was organised over a week from 1st December 2007 to 10th December 2007. Over the past years, Saheli Sangh has been organizing this day very auspiciously to generate a mass sensitization towards the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the women in sex work. This year the program had very fruitful impact especially to the women in sex work. During this week, Saheli Sangh had been able to mobilize approximately 350 women to share their doubts and feelings to the members of recognized institutions and clarify the myths associated to legal issues and health care practices. During this mentioned days, Saheli HIV/AIDS Karyakarta Sangh organized various activities which were directly beneficial to the women in sex work. The programs conducted were mainly: 1. PLHA (People living with HIV/AIDS) Meeting 2. Saheli Sammelan (Annual General Body Meeting of Saheli Sangh) 1. PLHA Meeting – Sahel i Sangh has mobilized the women living with HIV/AIDS to come together as an association. ...

An Astute of an Invisible By Aditya Bastola The embryo of Pune’s Red Light Area The HIV/AIDS epidemic is growing rapidly and there is increasing global concern and effort for prevention of the disease. To that effect, a few women from the ostracised part of Pune city formed an association of female sex workers, for the women and by the women in the year 1998. Today this association of female sex workers is known as Saheli HIV/AIDS Karyakarta Sangh. The Sangh aims to bring female sex workers together in order to solve their problems by undertaking initiatives to achieve their rights as human beings. From the date of its establishment, the organisation has undergone various changes. The organisation was established by female sex workers living in the red light area, with the noble intention of protecting other women from HIV/AIDS infection and inhuman treatment by the brothel keepers, and also to protect their children from becoming victims of second generation trafficking [1] . In this ...

This study has been conducted to document the best of traditional innovative practices under the Jalswarajya Project – Local Self Government Incentive Scheme, a World Bank funded project for water and sanitation (June 2006). This study is designed to provide a firsthand authoritative knowledge of the social process and the underlying facts related to the water harvesting structures. The information produced would be used to refer as a future literature of the foremost operation and also to design the Training of the Trainers (TOT) Manual in capacity building of the Gram Panchayat, Zilla Parishad members and the Local Representative respectively in effective implementation of the Project through YASADHA. Introduction Water has been an immemorial gift of nature to humankind. In ancient times, community settlements were mainly on the bank of rivers, where water could be easily provided for the sustenance of humans, animals as well as plants. Great civilisation of humankind existed along ...

PEOPLE JUST LIKE YOU: DON'T BLAME IT ON THE SEX WORKERS - By Aditya Bastola Organised efforts towards minimising the commercial sex industry's impact on the spread of HIV/AIDS often incorporate the assumption that it is the behaviour of the sex workers themselves that should be targeted for change. Based on fieldwork conducted in Pune, the second city of India's Maharashtra state, this article considers such an approach to be inadequate, arguing that more attention needs to be focused on the roles particularly of regular clients and of women sex workers' non-paying sexual partners. The practice of unsafe sex within the sex-trade should not be seen solely as a consequence of sex-workers relative ignorance of the dangers, but also in relation to the need to maximise earnings under conditions of exploitation and poverty. Furthermore, the epidemic needs to be addressed in the context of a society that is relatively conservative in its attitudes towards sex and sex education...