Update 32

ROZGAR ADHIKAR YATRA - FIVE DAYS ON (first report from the Yatra)

The Rozgar Adhikar Yatra will be entering Gujarat tomorrow (18 May) after a series of hectic stopovers in Rajasthan - Jaipur, Beawar, Udaipur, Banswara and Dungarpur. The Yatra is proceeding in a 47-seater bus, dressed up with colourful slogans and photographs. Everywhere it goes, the bus attracts attention and interest.

The most lively meetings have been held in public places - markets, chaurayas, or just on the roadside. The Yatra's main slogan ("Harhaath ko kaam do, kaam ka pura daam do") never fails to strike a chord and it doesn't take long for large crowds to assemble around the bus to listen to speeches, read the leaflets or just enjoy the songs. The "Primer" on employment guarantee, a pocket-size booklet which sells for three rupees, is very popular and large quantities have been sold. The idea of guaranteed employment on demand intrigues some listeners at first but quickly catches their imagination.

There have also been more "organised" meetings, including a state convention in Udaipur, public meetings in four cities (Jaipur, Beawar, Banswara and Dungarpur), and press conferences. The Yatris take turn in addressing these public meetings and many of them are discovering hidden gifts for public speaking. The meetings have also been addressed by a long list of local political leaders and eminent citizens. The core demand for a full-fledged, universal and irreversible Employment Guarantee Act has been looked at from all sides and placed in various contexts: the fundamental right to life, livelihood security, the struggle against neo-liberal economic policies, the pledges of the UPA government, and so on.

Ordinary men and women, including many labourers who are working on the National Food For Work Programme, have also been active participants in these meetings. Routine complaints about NFFWP include shortage of work, delayed wage payments, and failure to pay the statutory minimum wage. The Yatra is an opportunity to spread awareness of the NFFWP Guidelines and consolidate grassroots efforts to monitor the programme as much to mobilise and campaign for a full-fledged Employment Guarantee Act.

The Yatra has a strong cultural dimension. Public meetings are interspersed with lively slogans, songs, street theatre and puppet shows. A special play, "Haath" (Hands), has been prepared for the Yatra and is being improved as we go along. The play conveys the richness of work that can be done with hands, and how this creative potential has been stifled as working people are driven off the forest, off the sea, and off the factories. It ends with a call for collective struggle for the right to work.

In financial terms, the Yatra relies on the generosity of the public. A chanda (collection of donation) takes place at every stop and the response has been very heartening. Indeed people have been giving from the heart, whether it is a bank note or just a one-rupee coin. So far the chanda has earned enough to cover diesel costs, and hospitality has been provided by local organisations most of the time. The generosity of the public is yet another indication of the significance of the issue for ordinary people.

Last updated: 26 May 2005