Vidya Ashram at Sarnath, Varanasi is looking for interns

10 Nov, 2011 . 2 mins read

Vidhya Ashram aims to prepare the knowledge base for a mass politics necessary for a radical transformation of society, which realizes the ideal of equality.

Description:
Vidya Ashram at Sarnath, Varanasi is looking for interns, young men and women, who want to situate themselves in a social intervention and critical thinking niche for a short period of time.

In brief we are both a place and a network for social intervention through an intervention in the world of knowledge.

We work among peasants to organize them, not for development, but against the oppressive and dispossessing policies of the government, be it displacement, low prices of agricultural produce or the very uneven distribution of national resources.
We work among artisans and with their organizations to spread and explain the idea that not only their labor is underpaid but their knowledge remains unpaid too.
Our thinking revolves around the idea that peasants, artisans, women, adivasis and small retailers are knowledgeable people. Their knowledge is called lokavidya and that lokavidya must emerge as the greatest source of strength of the people to bring about a radical transformation of society.
We believe that in this Information Age the paths of social change traverse through the world of knowledge, in particular the world of people’s knowledge, lokavidya. Lokavidya is the basis of a world outlook which is totally different from what is cultivated by modern education.
We carry out local, national and international dialogue, both online and through actual conferences and meetings. In November 2011 we are planning an international conference on Lokavidya Jan Andolan to be held at Vidya Ashram in Sarnath, Varanasi.
We are engaged in production and publication of literature relating to lokavidya. This includes mainly booklets and a periodical.
We are a network of social activists and professionals spread through out India, some being abroad.
At Varanasi we are about 15 persons, some of us live in the Ashram.
The Ashram is financed by individual friendly contributions.