The We Can campaign launch in India, organised on November 25 and 26 2004 in New Delhi at the sprawling grounds of the Bharat Scouts and Guides Training Centre (Bharatiyam) was based on the theme ‘Equal Relations Are Violence Free’.

The national launch brought together 800 students for a youth festival from eight states of the country (Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat). Partners of the alliance, civil society organisations, government representatives; media and people from different walks of life also attended the youth festival.

Speaking on behalf on the alliance members in India working to end violence against women, Allison Aldred, Regional Director, Oxfam GB, said, people change people and based on this premise the campaign will seek to engage change makers in the campaign – people who will commit to actively working to influence the ideas and beliefs of people around them. These people will persuade others in their community to take a collective and visible stand against violence against women.

The campaign’s underlying aim is to persuade every member of the community to play a role as each citizen has the potential to be a change maker, both in their personal capacity and as a member of the community. The focus of the campaign over the next six years will be on all members of the community but the youth and rural communities will be specially targeted.

The sprawling grounds of the Bharatiyam, dotted with monuments and lush with greenery on all sides, came alive to the formal campaign activities in the morning of the first day and resounded with the sights and sounds of cultural programmes that followed. Towering hand painted banners in electrifying colours, jaunty flags that said “We Can”, vibrant posters, message boards, and tents with campaign messages from various states served as the backdrop for the events.

The excitement was palpable as hundreds of students thronged the venue wearing caps and carrying bags with the We Can logo specially designed for the campaign. They debated on the posters put up, met and interacted with new people to learn from their experiences and practiced the dance and dramas that they had devised themselves.

The felicitation of 17 youth change makers from across the country was the highlight of the morning. Ordinary men and women who have done extraordinary things by challenging existing attitudes and practices that encourage violence against women and bringing about social change were felicitated by the minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Dutt.

The change makers honoured included: Prakash Lenka (Kasarda village, Cuttack district, Orissa); Swapna Subhalaxmi Biswal (Cuttack district, Orissa); Mumtaz Jahan (Chilkana village, Saharanpur district, Uttar Pradesh); Santosh Pandey (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh); Sudha Thirunahari (Medak district, Andhra Pradesh); Tulasi Naik (Nallaguttapalli village, Ananthapur district, Andhra Pradesh); Gangaben Kesha Gothi (Salari Gam, Rapar, Gujarat); Nandkishore Vishthapit (Deoli block, Tonk district, Rajasthan); Geeta Mohanpuria (Kishangarh town, Ajmer, Rajasthan); Punam Toppo (Bhusur village, Ranchi district, Jharkhand); Choten Prasad (Giridih district, Jharkhand); Mehraj Khatun (Dakrani village, Vikasnagar block, Uttaranchal); Naushad Ali (Chachak village, Sahaspur block, Uttaranchal); Rajni Kumari (Jahangirpuri, New Delhi); and Shabnoor Bibi (Sultan Nagar, Bhadrak district, Orissa).

To mark their achievements, the minister released a book Change Makers: Small Actions, Big Difference that weaves together their remarkable stories and describes how they were able to bring about social change in their communities. The minister also released an evocative theme poster that depicts harmony in equal man-woman relations. This was specially created for the India campaign by the eminent Ahmedabad-based artist and scholar Haku Shah. The minister expressed his solidarity with the campaign by signing the message board with a personal message.

A panorama of Indian culture was presented in the post-lunch session on the first day by the students. The idea behind the youth cultural festival was to allow young people engage in a dialogue ‘for’ and ‘while’ developing these performances so that they become sensitised towards the issue of violence against women. This entire process was meant to lend impetus to their becoming future change makers – people who will actively encourage more positive attitudes on gender equations within the communities they live – so that they impel a change in community attitudes and practices.

The students had specially adapted traditional and folk dance and drama forms (a potent medium of communication that cuts across class, caste and language) to render their interpretation of the campaign theme. Using the 'Theatre in Development' concept, they used traditional theatre and music to challenge attitudes which cause and prolong marginalisation, prejudice and violence against women and encouraged the audience to consider alternative futures.

The Ghoomar dance from Rajasthan set the cultural trail in motion. It was followed by the Chhau dance (Jharkhand), Chotanagpuri dance (Jharkhand), Ulat Puran (play, Jharkhand), Aalha geet (Bundelkhand), Jaunsari songs (Uttaranchal) Kollattam (Andhra Pradesh) Sambhalpuri dance (Orissa) Shadow puppets (Uttar Pradesh) Bonati (Orissa).

The late evening was devoted to a scintillating rock concert by the immensely popular music group Indian Ocean who showed support for the campaign by presenting songs on peace and non-violence and struggles of indigenous peoples for their rights over natural resources.

The second day (November 26) opened with an ice breaker and group interaction session by a New Delhi-based group called Pravah, that attempted to bring the 800-strong student community together and encouraged them to become part of one group. The motive was to establish the student’s sense of identity, get them to develop a sense of identity around the campaign issues and set a positive tone for the meeting.

It was followed by a 40-minute intense play by Fade-in Theatres, Ahmedabad, which was amalgam of traditional and informal drama methods, dance, song and poetry. Controlled and powerful, the play explored the various dimensions of violence and violent situations. It starkly portrayed a multitude of worrying issues tied together by the thread of oppression and oppressed people.

Well known actor Rahul Bose, participated in an interactive session with the students. He began with a few words on the global campaign on violence against women that was started 13 years ago in the United States and is now gaining credence in India. He said though there have been some changes, gender stereotyping is still an overriding factor in our society as shocking statistics reveal that every 12 minutes there is violence against women and every 77 minutes there is a murder. The session turned interactive with the audience animatedly raising issues relating to foeticide, infanticide, dowry deaths and education of women.

For the post lunch activities, participants were divided into groups of 50. Each activity in this session was facilitated by resource persons to lend the activity structure and aid discussion on the themes presented in them. The plays that were staged were Gudkayen Dahar (Street theater, Jharkhand), Kiran (Play, Rajasthan), Parivaar ki Gaadi (Street theatre, Uttar Pradesh), Zara Sochiye (Street theatre, Rajasthan), Hamor Bayvalar (Street theatre, Uttaranchal) and Rangla Rangli (Folk theatre, Gujarat).There were also workshops on song making, cartoon and poster making and slogan writing.

The closing ceremony was graced with the musical compositions of Charul Bharwada and Vinay Mahajan of Loknaad (People’s Voice) titled “Insaan Hain Hum” (We Are human). The Loknaad group uses songs to take the results of their findings from studies and field experience to the people for collective reflection and action. Their songs focussed on issues like increasing communal violence, child labour and exploitation, destruction of natural resources, pollution, increasing marginalisation of communities, and the need to transcend the boundaries of caste, religion and nations.

After their memorable performance, the participants took a collective pledge never to practice or tolerate violence against women and to change the ideas and beliefs of ten other persons in their community on the subject. They then lit candles to affirm their pledge. A presentation of Daph Chang a dance from Rajasthan and Ghoda nach brought the curtains down.

A series of launches and events in eight states followed the national launch in quick succession and lasted till 19 December 2004.

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