Slum Habba: Celebrating the culture and struggle of slum dwellers

Felicitation of Prof Hasan Mansur

Date: 29th August, 2008
Place: Town Hall, Bangalore

GCSD was one of the participating organisations at this great event organised by the Slum Janandolana. Friends of GCSD from the slum areas in Tannery Road and Mysore Road also participated at this event.

We were honoured to contribute in kind with all the trophies and momentos for artists and guests attending this cultural festival. And we hope to partner with Slum Janadolana at many such occasions in the near future. Our Special thanks to Mr. Issac Arul Selva for inviting us to be part of this programme.

Background:

Over the past decade, we slum dwellers have been able to undertake massive mobilisations and struggles in protecting our rights and ensuring a hope for a better future for ourselves and our children. We have been able to achieve quite a bit till now. More needs to be achieved in the future and we are ready to face this challenge.

In this context, we have realised the need to celebrate our cultural roots in addition to these battles for our basic rights. So, for the first time, we are creating an opportunity for ourselves through a big cultural event on that day. The fellow beings living in towns / cities of 12 districts are assembling; exhibit their cultural talents to the world outside. It will be an opportunity for all of us shows our strengths and identity. The dignitaries will honor these cultural artists.

In our journey we have had many companions who have uncompromisingly stood by our side. One such person is Prof. Hasan Mansur, the President of People's Union for Civil Liberties – Karnataka (PUCL-K). AS most know, PUCL-K has, over almost the past three decades, dedicated itself to uphold the values of civil liberties and human rights of all citizens and people living in the State of Karnataka. Since the formation of PUCL-K, Prof Mansur has been the source of inspiration for various movements across Karnataka, including those for the rights of adivasis, dalits, sexual minorities, sex workers, slum dwellers, women, children, minorities, and others. He is also a guiding force in the struggle against growing communalism in the State. has taken on several issues, one of which is that of the rights of slum dwellers.

One of the issues that Shri Mansur has relentlessly and tirelessly worked for is that of the rights of slum dwellers. In fact, for the past decade, Prof. Hasan Mansur has been the Convenor for the Karnataka Kolageri Nivasigala Janti Kriya Samiti (Joint Action Committee for Slum Dwellers Rights in Karnataka), which is the federation of 40 mass organisations, dalit organisations, slum organisations and slum groups.

Due to the inspiration of people like Prof. Hasan Mansoor and elders in Slums, we have marched ahead to realise our own strength and ability to celebrate and to struggle for our little spaces in the cities. This will be also an opportunity to reinterpret our past to rewrite our own history in the city spaces.

Slum Janadolana